New Beer Sunday (Week 711)

Taters are cheap. I can get them for free right now.

 

Up next, a beer that features my favorite beer label ever, and it's not even close: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/28383/371154/?ba=beertunes#review

And then this: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/26520/79898/

Then this one: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/31722/208489/

I've gotta get up early tomorrow, so maybe I'll drop one more tonight.

 

Haha. Yeah, I bet.

I even forgot the beer picture in the last one.

 

Hello New Beer Sunday!!!

Finally done with work, and now to enjoy life.

How best to do that? Several ways, but, since there's a lack of middle aged single women around here, I'll do it with beer.

I was one of the participants in the NBS BIF #8. I read about it, and it sounded like an awesome idea so I joined up. Well, hell, it's been amazing. The group of members there have been out of this world amazing. Just the fun and camaraderie has been over the top. The generosity of my fellow participants has been over the top. @FlintB and @Bum4ever sent me ninja packages of amazing beer, and, of course my sender @jdell15 really knocked it out of the park with his package. Thanks to him, I've gotten another state, and will get one more. Tonight I will be drinking at least one he sent, and if I'm up to it, a second.

So let's get to the beer from the great state of Arkansas.


It is BDCS from Ozark Beer Company in Rogers, Arkansas.

I've heard about this beer, but never thought I'd get the chance to try it. It is an amazing beer. Just wow! Pours like motor oil. The aroma starts to hit when I opened the can up, and it doesn't let go. The flavor is just so deep and rich. The booze is there, but it's not a harsh booze feel, but more mellow. Really doesn't let on to the full fact that it's a 10%+ beer.

WOW!

Review:

4.72/5 rDev +4.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Pours like motor oil. Thick pouring, pitch black. 1 finger tan head, and the retention is amazing. There's some lacing on the glass.
The nose really started hitting as soon as I cracked the can. I got hints of the barrel used to age this beer. Up close I get a deep, rich barrel aroma. Boozy smelling. Caramel, some vanilla.
Taste - Very rich flavored. The flavor has vanilla in it, some caramel. Strong notes from the barrel.
This is one very thick beer. Very rich feeling. Very boozy, but it's not a harsh alcohol at all.
Wow! I've heard about this beer before, and I see why it's so talked up - it is outstanding. This beer rivals all the other big names, and is just one solid beer.

Ok, I'll keep working on this, and I'll try to go for one more tonight from his package of goodies. Thanks so much again @jdell15 .

 

Foreign objects future sight session ipa
Pours golden semi opaque drinks very smooth and light has crisp finish with a little bitter back kind of sweet crush able...how does one get into nbs bif?

 

Good evening NBS,
While the first New beer I had today wasn't worthy a post. This one definitely is.
About a year or so ago a friend told me he enjoyed Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot and it's Barrel Aged brother Insanity. I went to my favorite beer store Cable Beverages and sought them out without checking dates. I went down to the cellar tonight and I found that the Blithering Idiot was bottled on 2013. I decided tonight's the night, and here is my review.


12oz bottle into Tulip
Bottled on 1/3/13 close to six years old
Pours a garnet color with thin tan head that fizzles out
Rich aroma of Caramel and fruit pudding
The taste is a chock load of dark fruit, with some plum coming in, definitely has some sweet caramel brown sugar as well, the finish is smooth with some booziness
The feel is slightly thin, but held up nicely, along with a below average carbonation, pretty smooth too for 11.1%
Overall I am over the moon with this one, while I obviously would like to have tried it fresh, it is awesome with age on it.

Cheers

 

I occasionally do 2 NBS reviews. Today with all the beers Ive recently received from @colts9016 superb box and the Madman @FlintB whos generosity is second to none I had to throw another.
From Jammins box:
Pakos IPA - a Wyoming beer, Jackson Hole incidentally, which Im expecting to be good since I like Melvin so much.
Pours a nice clear golden color with a slight head that rings and has world map lacing.
Aroma is lots of citrus- fresh squeezed oj and lemon. There is also a weedy dankness and onion/garlic notes, floral notes like stinky flowers. Really West Coast.
Taste is same lots of clarified oj and citrus. Not rind bitter at all but piney bitter. Nice background touch of overipe pineapple. Lots of weed/earthy.
This is medium body but drinks to the lighter side- medium well, as all us cooks hate to hear. The carbonation refreshes with every sip and the finish is clean, crisp and dry.
Anyone that follows me knows I dig my IPAs. This is just an outstanding example of the (west coast) style. But they added a twist to make it a "Wyoming" style. You may ask why a state designated style? Well, Maine has Maine IPAs and New England has the haze etc.

 

Mystery beer from @kemoarps - green bottle, cork and cage. Dark fluid inside makes me think sour.


Pours the color of cola, head has a redish tint of mostly small bubbles. Dissipates to a fine layer in a minute or so.
Nose is balsamic vinegar, grape, orange, cherry. Red wine aroma is also present. Alcohol notes on the back end.
Taste is sour orange and cherry, reminds me of popsicles. Tart notes are prominent but not cutting, very nicely balanced. Wild brett-y notes create complexity.
Mouthfeel has medium viscosity, quite lively bubbles. Dry and long, sour and fruity finish. Medium viscosity, quite lively bubbles.
This is a lovely beer, it has all of the nice barrel, fruit, and sour characteristics without feeling like I am eroding my gum line. My guess is that this bottle is a kriek.


Reveal is Progenote by Speciation. I think this is the closest that I have been on an NBS mystery guess. I'm a big fan of sours, so no doubt enjoying this bottle. The bourbon barrel notes are light, but it works with the beer. I'll write off my detection of orange to the bourbon (and not my immature palate). Thank you to Kemoarps for my first Speciation! I've been dying to try this brewery with all of the buzz its getting on BA and it did not disappoint!

 

@Ozzylizard sent me that - TWICE - in NBS BIF 007 (last spring). I still have a bottle left.

I wish I had a keg.

 

Probably the last of the night. But no promises.
This one, again, courtesy of @CanConPhilly in his very generous albeit mean ninja attack. My first Other Half beer!

16 ounce can, no date seen. Poured into tulip pours a hazy lemon yellow, with peach highlights. Beautiful nose of tangerine, orange, guava, lemon meringue pie. Much of the same in the taste-lemon zest, pine tree, pineapple, grapefruit pith.
Clean, smooth, crisp dry finish.
My first OH, delicious!
4.31 rDev +2.1%

 

SSHHH, someone might hear you. If folks are sending multiple boxes, totaling over a hundo poundage, kegs are clearly the next step.

 

My next new one is a marzen from Neshaminy Creek, Creekfestbier Lager-



Look is clear copper golden with an off white head and lots of spotty lacing

Aroma and taste feature really nice toasty melanoidin notes, bready sweetness and perfumy, grassy hops with just a hint of bitterness

Medium light feel with decent carbonation and a finish that’s slight bitter with lingering sweetness

Overall this is a solid marzen that I’d buy again, but wish it was dryerand had less sweetness in the finish

 

There's a separate BIF section in the trading forum. Some time in Feb or March @beertunes will start a sign-up thread; and usually a heads up post on New Beer Sunday around the same time. Just keep an eye out for it.

 

Budweiser Copper Lager aged on Jim Beam barrel staves

Alright. My last beer was a craft brewer's attempt at playing in macro territory and failing miserably... and this beer is the reverse - a macro beer playing in craft territory. Unlike the last beer, this one wasn't a "failure," but I can see how a craft fan might think so. I just think the brewer's aims were unlike those of a generic craft brewer. Nonetheless, this is certainly not one to buy again.

I was expecting this to be an innocuous lager that was overrun with terrible bourbon oak flavors. This beer was definitely not that. In fact, if had blind, I doubt many would even be able to identify this as a beer with a bourbon stave influence (I bet I wouldn't). This aspect has been done VERY subtly... so much so, that I can see many drinkers thinking that this beer was a terrible and cheap imitation of the craft game.

I actually like it when something has a subtle influence on a beer, and I generally prefer this to the heavy handed approach. There's a Belgian school of thought that I'm very sympathetic to - "If you can taste and identify the spice or addition, then you've added too much." The difference between this Bud beer and that Belgian school of thought is that this beer puts a Jim Beam logo right on the label. In my opinion, this changes the rules of the game. Due to this marketing, I think it's a legitimate complaint if someone wanted much more Jim Beam flavor in the beer.

It's a very pretty light mahogany color. Gorgeous. It's thin and sweet. This tastes like I took the maraschino cherry out of an Old Fashioned, pulverized it, added water and beer, and then drank it. That description makes the beer sound more offensive than it is. It's not very enjoyable, but it's not offensive (it was designed to be inoffensive).

 

Alright, time for my second to last new beer of NBS! (Or is it...?)

This is Liquid Riot's Tropical Storm, a sour wheat ale with "loads of tropical fruits." It clocks in at 4.8%, making it a pretty low ABV tropical sour. Hopefully it's as enjoyable as it sounds!



This is my first canned beer from Liquid Riot (formerly In'finiti). I've really enjoyed visiting this brewery/distillery in the past when in Portland, but I had no idea they were actually releasing beer until recently. This is a collaboration with the local store The Bier Cellar, and some research reveals that it is a mango/guava/passionfruit sour wheat ale.

Pours an opaque light golden ale with just about zero head. I typically expect kettle-soured beers to look this way, at this point, but I'm still a bit disappointed by how boring it is. Even the hardest possible pour gives this a super-ephemeral head of a quarter-finger of white foam that pretty much instantly disappears. Ah well.

The nose is intensely tropical... it really reminds me of Idle Hands' Kill Your Idles: Tropical! That was an awesome beer, so I'm happy that this is similar at almost a full percentage strength lower. It has the requisite mango, papaya and passion fruit notes with a bit of dragonfruit and kiwi as well, with a slight backing note of lychee and light tannins. Really fruity and tropical with only a bit of the base beer shining through.

Flavor is similar... very heavy with sweaty passion fruit, bright papaya and intensely-fruity mango. Definite lychee and kiwi notes, too, but they're obviously a less apparent note than the fruits that were actually added. The guava gives off some grassy cattiness here, as it tends to do, and there's a slight bit of citrusy orange and/or grapefruit in the finish as well. Great stuff. Really fruity and enjoyable. The feel is just about where it should be for a <5% fruited sour ale. I've had some better beers in this style, but I've had way more beers that didn't live up to expectations, so I'd consider this very successful. As I mentioned, it's extremely similar to Idle Hands' Kill Your Idles: Tropical. Just doesn't have the lactose. Great stuff here!

 

I fully expect, during the next BIF, for a fire truck filled with beer to show up at my house.

And I expect to rappel from my house, down the ladder, and drink it all.

And then try to figure out how to refill the fire truck with beer and resend it to @Vidblain and crush his neighborhood.

 

Thanks! Mrs. Lizard isn't much for walking but we both have been talking about heading to Montreal, Ottawa, and Quebec City for a few days. With the glaciers moving in now, it probably won't be before next July at the earliest - we'll follow the polar bears when they migrate north again.

 

This fucker is on my to-do list, but nobody around me is selling singles. Guess what sixer is going to the next bottle share?

 

I can do better. My buddy Dan drives gas tankers that hold 10,500 gallons. We can borrow one, clean it, and fill your targets basement.