New Beer Sunday (Week 719)

I liked it best at room temp. Colder it wasn’t as impressive.

 

New orphan beer #2 from the Short's Super Hoppy Holidays 12 pack purchased at Meijer yesterday for $26. I thought that was an ok deal for a 6 x 2 12 pack, but realized most of these beers are imperial versions after a little research.

The review:
12oz bottled 10/23/18 (5 weeks ago) poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass at fridge temp, no ABV listed on bottle. The beer pours dense black with persistant mocha brown head. The head recedes to a half inch cap and covers the glass with lace. The aroma is earthy with hops and roasty from the malt. The taste hits quick with a one-two semisweet caramel and roasted malt punch. Mid palate the taste turns to medium bitterness and earthy hops. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, adequately carbonated and mostly dry in the finish. Overall, good. Not the most balanced example as the caramel is most dominant and the bitterness and hop presence are low for a 9% Black DIPA.

Now I'm going to ask Founder's to re-release Dark Penance so I have a proper point of reference. More odd balls to come. Cheers all!

 

Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Bramble Rye Stout

Sneaking in one more new beer before my wife and mother-in-law get back from the movies. Might as well make it a big one.

Bramble Rye is near black in color with a finger of tan head that’s relatively quick to dissipate and leaves almost no lacing.

A mix of berry jam and grape jelly stand out first in the nose, with chocolate brownie and whiskey behind.

That jammy sweetness dominates the taste. There are some of the chocolatey malt impressions from the base beer (stronger in the aftertaste) and some definite whiskey, but I’m not sure I’d peg it for rye without knowing. There’s a barely perceptible hint of spiciness (as well as some vanilla), but it’s hard to pick out through all that sweet, sweet jam. Some alcohol heat lingers in the aftertaste.

The mouthfeel is amazingly silky smooth with just the right amount of carbonation to keep things lively.

If you like brownies drenched in raspberry sauce, this is the beer for you. I knew this was going to be too sweet for me going in, but when I saw it for sale, and that it was rye barrel aged, I couldn’t stop myself. Should have known better.

Of the ones I’ve tasted thus far...

Orange Midnight > Wheatwine > Vanilla > Bramble

The only one that surprised me was the orange. Thought I would hate that one, but it was excellent. Each one of these had the flavor additives dialed up to eleven, and orange liqueur worked better for me than vanilla or berry jam. (Still have the regular and the coffee barleywine waiting in the wings.)

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday, BAs.

 

That is one polarizing beer, just like Islay Whiskey, there's no real in between its a love/ hate thing. I love Lagavulin, but I certinly did not enjoy that beer, I just thought it tasted strange and didn't do justice to a great whiskey.

 

@Blackop555 sent a 2012-2017 regular Expidition vertical for the NBS BIF share in Philly last month and I remember 2015 being a very close second-place favorite out of the six.

 

I've been on a kick to try more styles, and with several in the line up today, I'm relabeling this to New Beer Style. At least for me on this date. First up:



Blue Moon's Harvest Pumpkin Wheat.

Pours a ruby-orange with a clear transparency. Head is a finger in height, with poor retention. Aroma is pumpkin and spices. Squash comes off a little artifical, but not frail. Toasty, biscuity malts fall behind to add a little porch for the pumpkin to sit on. Flavor profile is pumpkin up front and then a big hit of spices. Spices really drive the majority of the flavor profile. Beyond pumpkin and spices, hints of wheat, straw, toasty, biscuity malts add some depth. Mouth feel is medium-thin with a lighty fuzzy, crisp texture. Overall, it drinks easy and smooth, and while the notes come off a little artificial and loud, it still makes for a tasty sipper.

Score: 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.25 | 3.5 | 3.5 | BA Score: 3.4 | rDev: +9%

Personal notes: I think this was, at one point, labeled an American Dark Wheat, but is no longer in that category. That style continues to elude me.

 

Where did you find the 4-pack?

 

Hopefully first of many. Intervention may still be needed.

 

Looking forward to hearing about "odd balls." We occasionally find them around here and I don't want to pass up one that sounds so good.

 

The barrel aged expedition is still a newer bottled offering of only 3 years now i believe. So the results are still out for the aging. Id say last year's is a little smoother right now but it's so smooth already is probably only age it a couple years. Leave the regular expy for ageing. Same as black note i prefer it fresh to a year or two.

 

Nailed it in my view! Captures exactly my reactions as well.

 

Meta by Goodfire Brewing courtesy of @jhavs really appreciate it Jon

4.23/5 rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pours beautiful dark hazy orange with about 1 finger head that holds. Smells tropical with a honey sweet back. Drinks medium bodied great mouthfeel. Citrus pineapple with smooth honey finish but not overly honey flavored. Very good and easy drinking.

 

Enjoy!

 

More new. Despite Weihenstephaner's presence in the US, I was unable to find this bottle on local shelves, so @bbtkd was kind enough to send me a bottle in our recent trade.

German Kristal(l)weizen notes per Beer Advocate:

"A filtered version of a Hefeweizen, showcasing a bright and clear body that ranges from pale straw to light amber in color. The overall character will be cleaner and softer on the palate, and the typical banana and phenols will be more subtle."



Weihenstephaner's Kristall Weissbier.

Pours an absolutely translucent slightly hydrated, ehm - yellow. Head is two fingers in height, white in color, and fair in retention. Aroma is a smack of spicy hop immediately followed by soothing banana and potassium. Clove and yeast esters drive this further into the 'quintessential pale German beer' stereotype, but not in a bad way. Floral, citrus hops and toasty, biscuity, doughy, earthy malts and wheat round out the complexities of the nose. In summation - flavorful and sharp. Flavor profile is spicy hops right up front, which linger a long while before fading and banana, clove, and yeast notes land in its wake. Doughy bread, wheat, and barley notes give this a bigger profile, adding on to complexity, but not taking away from the ease of enjoyment. Mouth feel is crisp, and nearing on sharp. It has a medium-thin consistency. Overall, a very sharp, crisp, refreshing beer with some unique notes. It embodies the stereotypes of so many German beers, but carries it well, making it a refreshing experience. Note the style description states the banana and yeast notes would be more subtle, but in contrast, they really drive the experience throughout this glass.

Score: 3.5 | 4 | 4.25 | 4 | 3.75 | BA Score: 4.02 | rDev: -0.7%

As promised in the What Beer Are You Drinking Now thread, here are some notes on a new beer I was able to enjoy this weekend. Keep in mind, this is one of my 'grail' or long-time goal beers, so there may be a touch of bias here:





Shared's Barrel Aged Coffee Shop Vibes.

Pours black with a half finger of dark caramel head. Head retention is poor, with a good ring of foam lasting a while. Aroma is boozy bourbon right up front. It's been somewhat tamed, but it's still not down to suburban dad levels. Rich coffee, dark chocolate, toasty and roasty malts form an expressive dark and deep aroma. Flavor profile is dark and milk chocolate, cocoa, toffee, and medium roast coffee. Bourbon and char come on easy at the onsite, and then drive the flavor to a big crescendo. Leaving lingering notes of coffee, roasty malts, and bourbon on the tongue afterwards. Mouth feel is thick with a lightly chewy texture. Overall, a big brut of a beer. Aging for a year was most likely great for mellowing out the bourbon in this beast. Coffee is still prominent, despite being a year old, and showing no notes of green pepper.

Score: 4.25 | 4.5 | 4.75 | 4.5 | 4.75 | BA Score: 4.64 | rDev: +0.2%

Gops and chunks of proteins left behind from the BA Coffee Shop Vibes.

 

Its been a while, but my impression on Bramble is that it did best with some age on it, of course this was pre pasteurizing. That might not even be a factor.

 

Had a pretty nasty snow and ice storm roll through over last night so I'm not having any beer today because it's had our local ambulance company busy and i need to be ready when called. Maybe will have one later. I did however have two new beers recently.

Big thanks to @FFFjunkie for the cantillon geuze. i switched phones yesterday and lost the picture so i can't post that. Everyone enjoyed it greatly. That is up there for one of my favorite geuzes. So well balanced.

Next up bourbon county rare. Friend had taken this picture so i stole it

Big thanks to @Dragginballs76 I've never had a beer with that much Woody taste. Must have been the two years. So excellent. It tasted like regular bourbon county with extra bourbon and wood. I don't think I'll ever get that barrel character in another beer again and that almost saddens me. Thanks again Dan and Mike.