New Beer Sunday (Week 702)

New beer #7. Thanks @larryi86 ! Review is here. Scored it a 3.78 overall.



I think I would have liked this more if not for the Burley Oak Jream I had earlier. The Jream just exploded with flavors...this was muted in comparison. Still enjoyable in the 90 degree heat, and glad to get to try it, since there’s no way my car-less ass is getting to Mispillion Brewery any time soon. Thanks again Larry!

 

Saw that today. Definitely going to try that out now.

 

It's time for something new. This one was gifted to me, but sat in the fridge for a week or two extra due to a busy schedule on my part. Excited to finally dig into it.



Firestone Walker's Luponic Distortion No. 010.

Pours a clear straw color with a finger of white foam that retains fairly well. It leaves large, lingering lace for a long while. Aroma is delicate tropical fruits, which give off a delicate, NE IPA vibe. Resin, and a hint of syrupy hop sludge give it a slightly west coast IPA undercut. Flavor profile is grapefruit, melon, and papaya more at the forefront with a resin hop bite at the finish. It strikes a lovely balance between semi-sweet sugary notes up front with biting notes behind. Mouth feel is medium in thickness with a firm crispness. Overall, between the crisp texture and the balancing act of hops, this beer drinks super refreshing. It's a fantastic beer worthy of the limited cooler space on a southern tier camping trip, when refreshing and flavorful beer is a necessity.

Score: 4 | 4.25 | 4.5 | 4.25 | 4.5 | BA Score: 4.39 | rDev: +8.7%

Personal notes: I can't say this in my review, so I'll say it here: this is my favorite Luponic Distortion edition yet.

 

Actually the song is The Old Man Down the Road. And the line is "You have to run through the jungle" Just hit me.....

 

Bummer. I will be in NYC later this year for the first time. Was considering making the voyage over to Sixpoint, but alas, that may have to wait.

Their website says they are building a new taproom though. Perhaps that'll keep them upon more regular hours.

 

Great way to start the thread @lordofthewiens , and best wishes on your new home. I'm sure New Mexico has changed a bit since I was last there with my then-fiance in the 90s, but it's always been a place I loved and wanted to return to some day.

Today was a day at the beach for us- literally. My 21yo son has been away this summer, taking part in a 10 week research program at his school, but just got home this weekend for a three week stint before heading back for his senior year. One of his first wishes was to take a trip to the beach, and this morning mother nature complied with a beautiful cloudless and sunny day, so that's where we were until not too long ago. Needless to say, but I'm feeling sort of hot, wiped out and thirsty at the moment.

I still have some incredible-looking high-gravity beers waiting in the wings, but tonight they're gonna have to do a bit more waiting. Here's the exact thing I need right now, somehow forseen by @Vidblain in June :

Schell's Goosetown German-Style Gose

Right off the bat, this is not as tart or saline as most American takes on the style, and it really does seem to fit more into the Leipziger mold. It's more bready than anything else, and that quality has a good bit of depth to it. It's like when you bite a baguette, and you're simultaneously getting the crust and the inside flavors- neither one dominates, but it's multifaceted all the same. The nose has hints of lemon and coriander spice as well, but just as accents. The feel is nicely malty, until the quickly brisk finish of gentle salt and tartness. If you've ever taken a pale lager and added a dash of salt to it for definition, that's along the lines of what this is like, or not very salty at all really.

I really appreciate how Schell's has decided to show the other end of the spectrum here. And if you're going to do that, then your malt game better be on point. It definitely is here. I would've wished for a touch more zip, myself- not enough to change the essential character of the beer, but I just think this is light even for Leipziger standards. Still, a very pleasurable experience, and a beer I'd love to spend an afternoon with. A- (4.2) and thanks again, Chris!

 

Yep the taproom is an expansion to their current location I believe, but not sure what their eta is. As it stands they’re only open the Saturday of a release (once a month), and the following Monday, to facilitate preordered can pickups.

 

NBNS beer #2



Mystic Topaz

Revision Brewing Company
American IPA / 7.00% ABV

3.79/5 rDev -11.2% | Score: 4.27
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

canned 07/12/18

L-The beer pours a hazy light yellow with a 2 finger off white head. The head recedes to a thin film leaving moderate lacing behind.
S- The nose is citrusy and slightly sweet. It's reminiscent of orange and maybe a bit of papaya. Intensity overall is pretty modest for a NEIPA.
T-On the palate the beer comes off less sweet than the nose. It's what I'd term balanced. Normally some of my favorite DIPA are balanced and juicy. This one is lacking somewhat on that front. It seems muted.
F-Mouthfeel overall is on the higher side of medium. It has a bit of heft that contributes to a tongue coating feeling.
O- A touch disappointing given some of the solid hype this brewery has received. It's just underwhelming in comparison to true NE pacesetters for the style. I'd have no problem drinking it again, but it's nothing I'd seek out.


Honestly I enjoyed this more the longer I drank it. It's good, but not great. It reminds me of how I felt about the Sam Adams NEIPA.

 

You can absolutely say this is your favorite yet.

Because you are a baller.

That is how we roll in the NBS.

PS: I really enjoyed this iteration of the series, too. Reminded me a LOT of Grapefruit Sculpin, which I love.

 

Imo, you'll do much better at beer bars than breweries in NYC. It's fun to hit a few breweries, for sure, but there's no need to spend all of your time and energy hitting so many.

 

This week I am trying Flying Dog Lemon-Lime Pilsner. Pilsners are one of my favorite styles so it was an easy sell there and I love both lemon and lime so naturally I found that I really dig this beer. The LL is just a hint and accentuates the Pilsner well...it's like a Dos Equis with the lime but slightly better. I highly recommend this if you are into such things.

And for the record I tried this after a DIPA I like and would go with this vs that if I had to choose, a refreshing summer beer.

 

That's a good point. I don't intend to visit many. A lot that I want to visit are in awkward places that would eat up too much time to get to between the long walks from the subway stops. Sixpoint was one I thought about making the journey for as I really enjoy their work.

I'll start digging into more beer bar options though!

 

Things have been crazy in my world lately, so I’ve been far less active on NBS than I would like. Trying to fix that today.

Today’s new beer is BA Kingslayer from Fairhope Brewing.

Enjoyable stout with some classic aromas and flavors but probably not worth the $16 price tag.



Poured from 22 oz bomber with no visible date.

A: Extremely dark brown that comes off almost black with smallish one finger mocha head. Decent retention and light lacing.

S: Roasted barley, chocolate, vanilla, and coffee with some light bourbon notes.

T: Rich roasted malts with dark bitter chocolate, vanilla, and espresso. Bits of bourbon coming through but not the dominant flavor.

M: Full bodied but not thick and coats the tongue nicely. Average to light carbonation.

O: Very nice stout although a bit pricy compared to other similar offerings.

 

Wicked Weed - Napoleon Complex

A bit on the standard side PA. Malt forward, with a bit of hopped bitterness on the back side. I rather felt this was a tad muted throughout, except for the bitterness. Not a must have on my list, but it's not bad.. if that makes any sense. I gave it a 3.81

 

Boulevard Rye On Rye, 12% ABV. Pours dark brown with a slight tan head that left no lacing. Nose is bourbon and roast malt, taste follows, slight bourbon burn, and slight bitterness. Excellent mouthfeel, overall outstanding.

 

Ended up drain pouring the last few ounces of that Burley Oak and traded up to some Speciation Phylogenetic thanks to @FlintB!

4.28/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Thank you FlintB for this
750 ml bottle poured into a flute

A- A fairly clear golden straw with a two finger white head

S- Sour and funky, tangerines, green apples, an earthy/cheesy funk, some leather, touch of oak.

T- Sour, tangerines, green apples, lemons, oak, touch of leather, funky finish.

M- Smooth, light body, crisp.

O- Another very nice sour from Speciation.

Cheers!

 

Very nice wheat lager. Nice head retention/lacing on the glass. Aromas and flavors of honey, wheat, cracker, white bread dough, and lightly toasted biscuit malts; with lighter notes of lemon, orange, banana, clove, peppercorn, and herbal/grassy hops. Light-moderate herbal, grassy, peppercorn bitterness; and slight wheat tang/tartness on the finish. Medium carbonation/body, and fairly crisp finishing. Bready/grainy malts and some sticky hops in the mouthfeel. Light-moderate increasing bitter dryness. Very flavorful, pretty refreshing, 5.8%. Nicely clean lagering, fruity notes coming from the wheat and honey fermentation. Very unique stuff, but really enjoyable. Well balanced pale/wheat malts, honey, and earthy hops. 3.88


Awesome imperial coffee stout. Great head retention and soapy lacing on the glass. Aromas and flavors of big nutty dark roasted coffee, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, toffee, and toasted dark/brown bread; with lighter notes of molasses, licorice, dark fruit, smoke, charcoal, herbal, wood, tobacco, pepper, and pine. Light-moderate pine, herbal, woody, peppery hop; and roast/char bitterness on the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-full body; very creamy, silky, bready, grainy malts; some sticky hops, and chalky char roast. Lightly increasing lingering hop/char bitter dryness. Minimal acrid/astringency. Very smooth, minimal warming 8.2%. Really spot on stuff. Very rich/well rounded imperial stout malt complexity with balanced fruity/nutty coffee; and nice earthy hop balance against sweetness. 4.1


Cheers, have a good night NBS.

 

Back with another tonight. This one from Trim Tab Brewing.

From the Light Visions series - The Original 006. A hazy DIPA featuring Galaxy, Simcoe, and Nelson hops. I’ve always been a big fan of their main DIPA, Tesserae, and this one takes it to the next level.



Poured from 16 oz. can dated 7/19/2018.

A: Completely hazy pale orange tinted yellow with 1-2 finger white head. Lasting retention and moderate lacing.

S: Amazing aromas that hit you as soon as you start the pour. Pineapple, mango, passion fruit, and ripe melons.

T: Straight up juicy NEIPA. Mango, pineapple, apricot, slightly overripe melons with just a touch of grapefruit. Just the right amount of dank hops.

M: Medium body with average carbonation. Soft creamy mouthfeel.

O: Excellent DIPA. Hoping more of these offerings from Trim Tab makes it up our way.