New Beer Sunday (Week 716)

Sorry I neglected to point out this is from Sibling Revelry Brewing

 

YES!!!

(i know i'm way late to the party on this one, but when I see the hard-drinking Ray Milland ... YES!!!)

 

#3 of the day.

Maui Brewing - Coconut Hiwa.

Really tasty beer. The aroma was a bit week, but otherwise quite tasty. I'm surprised I'm so below the average, I guess the aroma just wasn't hitting me much.

3.79/5 rDev -4.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Pours a nice dark brown color. The head is tan, 2 finger, and has good retention. There's some very nice lacing on the glass as the head dissipates.
The nose is fairly weak. Just very slight. Just a hint of mocha.
Taste - Interesting. I get the coconut, and then the mocha kicks in on the backside.
Decent body. Just about where I'd expect for such a beer. Nice carbonation feel in the back of my throat.
Solid and delicious stout. A pleasure to drink.


I think that this will be all for tonight. I'll see you all next week for New Beer Sunday. Cheers, and, again, I welcome all the new participants. You're all welcome here.

 

Happy New American Brut IPA Sunday!

Brew #2. This is my first Brut IPA, quite different, hard to pinpoint this sucker, very tasty though. Nice to see this brewery doing them, and showing up here in GJ. Still watching some DS9 reruns.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/46749/380764/?ba=Wasatch#review

Cheers!

 

I gave it the same grade you did for the same reasons.

 

When I first participated back in NBS 464 with mattcrill at the helm, I honestly can’t recall the exact protocol so I looked it up.

“TODAY is the day and THIS is the place to TRY a new beer and TELL us about it! Kindly find a beer that's new to you, sample it, and share your thoughts in this thread. Please provide (at least) a good description. Linked review help and if you have any questions, stick around and watch others add their pics and multi-media extravaganza to help us share in your new beer conquests.

Anyone is welcome to review. I always picture us sitting at a local brewpub and sampling a bunch of different stuff and waxing poetically about all our local gems (in a non-geeky, non-pretentious manner of course!)

If you don't want to provide a description or don't feel comfortable, that's totally cool. Please slide on over to the WBAYDN thread or some other thread. Plenty of room for everyone here today.”

So obviously the implied premise/idea was a group tasting in the moment so to speak. Basically a “What Beer Are You Drinking Now” with reviews. For the most part, that’s probably what it has been. (Although I didn’t go back through those whole 2 pages) However, I seriously doubt that someone who joined the site last year would draw any hardcore party lines. As you said, the thread has evolved. And for the better. There are now 4-6 pages every week.

To me, New Beer Sunday is more about sharing your take on a first time experience with a beer rather than an in the moment thing. I can see where people may interpret this differently and even see me as hypocritical because I am VERY strict on the “virtual bar” (WBAYDN) aspect. It really defeats the vibe otherwise. I will be the first to admit that probably half of my NBS posts aren’t real time reviews even if they are the same day. I have included several that were earlier in the week. Especially if I visited a new brewery. I see it more as an educational experience even though I am not certified to do so in any way. In fact, I had a self imposed rule for a long time of finding widely distributed beers to review until I felt like the options were running thin so it would be a more productive contribution than reviewing local beer that nobody will ever have.

Anyway, @elohim I don’t really care whether you are sharing your thoughts on a beer here that you drank today, 2 days ago, or last month. It’s all in the spirit of participation to me. And your interest and research into the NBS BIF proves that you want to contribute to the cause.

 

I know. It’s a Ted Nugent style free for all.

 

Well said!!

 

New Beer #2
I had high hopes for this...

The review:
33cL undated bottle poured into a Duvel glass at fridge temp 9% ABV. The beer pours dense very dark brown with chocolate tan colored head. The head recedes to a thin cap and leaves a little lacing close to the head. The aroma is semisweet baker's chocolate. The taste is oddly tart with mildly ashy bitter dark chocolate coming out in the middle. The finish is dry, slightly bitter dark chocolate cherries. The mouthfeel is medium to thin bodied, sharply carbonated and prickly. Overall, maybe a good beer, but very little in FES qualities. Cost three times what I paid for very similar Bell's Cherry Stout and the Bell's was a better beer. I believe this bottle has overly bottle conditioned from the looks of the yeast cake and ring at the neck. Proceed with caution.

A little disappointed, but it's hard to find new beers in this style. Ordered online so no way to check a date. I have a bunch of stouts in the fridge to get me through November NBS before I dive into all my Belgian Christmas beer (the real reason for the online order) in December. Cheers all!

 

Evening, all, and thanks for getting us started late last night, @lordofthewiens. My first new beer of the night is Russian Messenger, an RIS by Round Guys Brewing out of Lansdale, PA-



The beers pours pitch black and has a tan head that has an odd layer of bigger clear bubbles on top of it. There’s tons of lacing.

The beer smells and tastes of sweet chocolate fudge, espresso, black licorice and burnt roasty char. There’s also a little dark fruit in the flavor. Flavor starts out with the sweeter fudge, espresso And fruit but then transitions abruptly into intense burnt char that’s very bitter.

Feel is nice- full bodied, creamy, low carb. The finish is looking no and bitter

Overall- this full-flavored RIS was an excercise in contrasts, veering from sweet to intensely bitter. It wasn’t balanced really, because the two seemed so separate, but it was an enjoyable drink.

 

Great review. I hope you contribute every Sunday!

 

I seem to be in the minority in not being a fan of this one. Getting some onion really mild muddled flavors. Captain Lawrence Powder Dreams with Wakatu an Bravo Hops.



Appearance 4.25 - Pours hazy burnt orange with a nice fluffy white head and lost of spotty lacing.

Aroma 3.75 - Big sweaty earthy hops, mild onion, little bit of overly ripe orange and tangerine.

Taste 3.25 - Ripe orange, citrus peel, earthy hops, caramel, mild malts. Grains

Feel 3.5 - medium bodied good carbonation

Overall 3.51 - not a fan of this one, onion and malts not a fan of the flavors.

 

My final new review of the day...

Canned 11/8/18, this 8.5% abv IIPA features oats and lactose in their imperial oat cream Daydream format, and uses Simcoe hops and double dry hopping with Simcoe cryo hops... Pours a medium-pale light golden orange color, opaque, with a finger of white head on top... In the spirit of the Simcoe hop, this beer showcases a citrusy fruit and earthy pine double-headed hop attack, moderately bitter and mildly sweet... The body is medium-weight, but on the light side, with average carbonation and tangy high-points... Bright, clean, and fresh, maybe a little green (which I like)...

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

 

One more new beer for me. I have a solid backload of beers to review, so it was nice to get a couple out of the way today.

This one is a gift from @TheBrewsky, to whom I'm very thankful for a variety of new brews. There is no canning date, but what I am assuming to be the Best By date reads 02/21/19. I suppose I'm not too worried since this isn't an IPA or a coffee stout. Before getting to review, I also want to highlight the fact that this beer sits at 3.7%. I love that I can have a hopefully flavorful craft beer with so little alcohol. Let's get to it.



The above is what resulted from what I would call a medium pour. There are about 1.5 fingers of frothy off-white head, which exhibits a surprisingly good retention and leaves lots of lacing on the glass. In my experience, this is not that common for Berliner Weisses, and the opposite of a different beer I had today in this style. The smell is strange. I can pick out some wheat (not too much), and some oranges, but also this peculiar vinegary chemical tartness. I'm not sure what it is, but it's throwing me off. The taste resembles the nose perfectly. There are oranges, wheat, and that same vinegar. But, the vinegar is much less noticeable in the taste. I don't absolutely love the taste. I think there are much better flavors for Berliner Weisses than oranges. The feel is spot-on for the style. The beer is light, highly carbonated, and easily quashable. Alcohol is obviously not apparent.

Update: As the beer warms, the vinegar notes seem to mostly go away in the smell, and decrease in the taste. Both the taste and the smell still feel artificial.

Overall, this is an interesting product. You can tell that the base is excellent for the style, but I'm not sure that blood orange is the best flavor for the style. The appearance of the vinegar notes brings it down a bit too, but not too much since the problem seems to go away as the beer warms. The following are my ratings. Cheers!

4.25 | 4.0 | 3.75 | 4.25 | 3.75. Overall Rating: 3.89 (-1.8% rDev)

 

@FlintB, don't think I forgot about the amazing barleywine box you sent over. Tonight I'm drinking Transient's Because Life is Sticky

Pours a murky color that sits somewhere between whiskey and apple cider. Towards the top of the glass is a beautiful sunburst effect like you would see on a guitar. The only head present is a ring of large bubbles around the glass.
Nose is apple, caramel, brown sugar, maple comes through midway. Some faint woody and earthy notes as well. There's a vague sort of yeasty funk as well. The candy apple note dominates as it warms.
Taste is fruit- orange, grape, red delicious apple followed by a caramel and maple syrup sweetness. Bitter notes follow while a woody dryness lingers. . A scant touch of heat at the end, not overbearing at all. As the beer warms caramel and maple are front and center.
Mouthfeel is fairly thick, oily if you give it a swish. Nice softness in the carbonation.
I'm not a die hard maple syrup fan, though its something I really appreciate when done right. This is a great example of maple done right. The barleywine is married very well with the maple syrup notes, and the barrel adds an additional dimension. I'm really digging this bottle. Thanks again Brian! Your generosity certainly hasn't been forgotten.

 

I agree.

The guy says he doesn't drink on Sunday, so unless I read that wrong I support him. New beer so post away, don't care when you drank it.

 

Third New Beer for this Sunday! Hopefully I can get one more in and then my nightcap... time to hurry things up!



This is a new IPA (IPA no. 7, as the can says on the other side) from Collective Arts. It is marketed as a "Southern Hemisphere IPA" featuring Nelson and Citra hops. It clocks in at 7.1%. These guys' IPAs have never really blown me away, but I love Nelson, and I love that can art. Had to give it a shot.

Pours a turbid yet surprisingly-vibrant orange cream color with a solid dollop of white foam sitting on top. Crazy consistent sheets of lace and awesome legs on this one. Now THIS is what I want a modern hazy IPA to look like! It's got the opacity down but still has a nice hue to it, the head is very solidly built, and the whole thing comes together superbly in my glass. Off to a great start!

The nose has those unmistakable ripe gooseberry notes that I (and many others) find with Nelson-focused beers. Slightly tart and almost acidic. Catty Citra plays along in the background with notes of mango, pineapple and minerals. Rather nice smell to this one. I think it plays it a bit safe, but the Nelson/Citra treatment is pretty on-point. Could it be pushed more? Sure, probably. Not a huge deal. Better to be a bit more judicious with hop additions than to totally unbalance the whole recipe, in my opinion, and this seems to abide by that rule of thumb. It has some dusty yeast and crackery malt in there as well. Almost a bit biscuity, with some orange marmalade and lemon peel wafting up as it opens up. I'm down.

Sips pretty solidly, for sure. Very mineral-forward, with a lot of floral white wine grape (Riesling notes for sure) and honeyed notes. Tangerine, pineapple and papaya flesh with a decent, semi-catty bitter bite toward the finish. The profile seems a bit muted, however, with a lot of yeasty dominance on the palate. Not a huge fan of that element, but I will say that the feel is quite well done, and the way they balanced the hops feels about on-par. I wish this had a bit more dry-hop to it, though. It just doesn't pop like it should, especially compared to some of the bigger names in NEIPA/modern hoppy ales. Maybe I'm a little spoiled. Ah well. I would drink this again, but wouldn't seek it out.





Slam!

 

Enjoyed this from @larryi86 a bit earlier today. I was Larry's sender in the most recent BIF round so when I was in Philly for the share last weekend he got his retribution on me for sure. Sent me home with quite a few beers.

Pours a somewhat hazy golden orange with two fingers of white head.
Aromas of citrus, grapefruit primarily leads the way. Also getting ripe melons and sweet malts.
Taste follows, layers of grapefruit and ripe melon. Also getting some tropical fruits.
Medium bodied with good carb level. Some alchohol tingle on the tongue.
Overall a good beer from a brewery I hadn't heard about before.
Thanks Larry!

 

The stakes are high,
and so am I.