New Beer Sunday (Week 720)

New beer #5. Thanks @JamFuel !

Indian Tribute - Oppigards
IPA - 6.6% abv
Score: 3.99 (+2% rDev)



Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/10903/41470/?ba=CanConPhilly#review

Synopsis:
Has all the traditional hallmarks of an east-coast ipa. Looks really nice, smells and tastes traditional and well balanced. Very glad for the chance to try this!

 

Happy Sunday NBS players. A rather cold winter day here on the island with an overcast sky. Got the yard cleaned up of all the leaves and the shed set up for the winter. Starting to get my ass into the xmas spirit a bit. Put up some of the xmas decorations but won't be getting the big stuff up till next weekend. Spending the day inside watching football, eating, and drinking brews. Not looking to forward to the work week but I've got another week of vacation coming up to soften the blow.

I've got a bunch of new beers today so we'll see how many I actually get to. My first new beer today is Turning Tides, dipa, from Garvies Point brewing. The brew features citra, simcoe and mosaic hops. It checks in at 8.2% abv and has a 12/5/18 canning date.

A murky/hazy pour that yields a straw blonde/yellow color and a foamy white head. The nose is rather floral with lots of tropical fruit. The drinking starts with a good punch of tangy and fruity hops upfront. A smooth and creamy flow that finishes nicely bitter. It has a really nice mixed feel of crisp, clean, creamy, hoppy, and bitter along with a concentrated hop taste. Lots of pith/stone fruit notes. I mostly get lemon, orange, mango, and grapefruit. A rather moderate body that seems to go around that nice mixed feel. Goes down fast with lingering lip-smacking flavors.

Overall, I really like it. It's big, hoppy, and bitter. I think these guys are a big up and coming long island brewery. The ba score seems to be a little lacking but I'm in the low 4's all around here players,

 

Actually yes, you nailed it and I did review that one (a little higher than you, but lower than Pictavia). The Boulevard just seemed a little devoid of flavors according to my review - which sort of fits in line with my thoughts about it "neutralizing the flavors." That's not meant to be taken literally based on only a small sample size, but in both these beers I wished they came across with a better blend of beer and barrel flavors.

 

NBS beer #2



Double Duckpin

Union Craft Brewing Company
American Imperial IPA / 8.50% ABV

4.29/5 rDev +0.7% | Score: 4.26
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

canned 11/26/18

L-the beer pours a clear copper with a modest 1 finger white head. Lacing presents itself as a ring with legs in respectable quantity.
S-In the nose I get primarily grapefruit (flesh not pith) with a bit of alcohol. Less strongly I'm picking out a bit of cattiness, but it isn't overwhelming or off putting.
T-Like the nose I'm getting grapefruit flesh and a touch of pine resin. There is some alcohol sweetness which probably contributes to the impression of pink grapefruit flesh.
F-Mouthfeel overall is on the lighter side of medium. Carbonation is light. There is a slightly slick quality which I find pleasing.
O- Classic pre haze craze DIPA. Reminds me a lot of a slightly lighter version of Clown Shoes Space Cake. It's a real nice change of pace from all the NEDIPA's on the scene out there. Recommended.

 

I swear I am not stalking you but I have this beer as well lined up for review today!!

 

Bring it.

 

Your review makes me want. I love their beers and their artwork.

 

Good afternoon, NBS!

Love the theme today @lordofthewiens though I don't have much to contribute in that regard - my younger sisters have tended towards the sappier movies for at least ten years, so I've been forced to watch too many of them... but, mostly it's just Love Actually, over and over again. I didn't mind it the first time, to be entirely honest - I used to have a bit of a thing for Keira Knightley, before she weighed like 80 lbs fully clothed and soaking wet. Not to body shame, but jesus, fellas - who's really in to that shit? Let's see more Ashley Grahams and Kate Uptons, please and thanks!

On to beer and less contentious topics.

I'm sort of in a fight with a new phone at the moment, so my photo quality is bothering me - pardon the shit picture that follows.



I suspect I have some weird portrait filter mode on, but I'm not quite interested enough to figure out the camera at the moment. I'm drinking The Butcher, by Societe Brewing Company. For the life of me, I'm having a difficult time remembering how I got this bottle - should you have sent me this bottle, please let me know!

My stance on Russian imperial stouts is, perhaps, not a terribly popular one - I dislike hops in my stouts, and I haven't really found the beer yet that has convinced me otherwise. Hops in a stouts means that beer should have sat in my basement for another few years to smooth out. That bitter, dark fruity bite just isn't welcome in my stout house - sorry/not sorry.

But, this is one of those rare beers that reminds me enough of Darkness (and the associated nostalgia) that I don't mind it. There's a generous bit of chocolate to the nose and taste, and then a surprising quantity of malt, coffee roast, and bitterness roll in. It's not precisely a thick beer, but it's not barrel-aged so my expectations weren't that high in that regard - it's rich enough in texture, taste, and nose that a bit of thinness to the mouthfeel is eminently forgivable.

It's likely that I'll only finish the one glass of this beer - it's very decent, but I don't feel like drinking the whole bomber... palate is feeling fatigued already, after just half a glass.

Back for more later. Cheers, NBS - enjoy your afternoon!

 

Good afternoon and happy New Buoy Sunday BAs. Well... Congrats to any Atlanta MLS fans out there coming from a saddened Timbers fan. Nothing else to report from my slice of the PNW other than I think I got roofied last night. Yeah. Pretty sure of it actually, without the typically associated end result luckily. Anyhoo, that was weird... I need a beer.

Buoy
Strong Gale- Winter Warmer





Strong Gale cascades from the bottleneck a rich coppery color. The ammassed presence in the glass takes on a cola brown appearance with burnt brick red highlights. It's clean and clear, but very placid looking overall. Peacefully resting above is a sturdy khaki colored mound of smooth foam. Waves of seafoam like spots lace the glass with ease.

Aromas do in fact come in with gale like strength. Caramel and toffee have a hard time establishing themselves as wet pine, citrus zest, mulling spice, and what I can only describe as "freezer burn" quickly wrestle to the front.

Surprisingly, the flavors are held back. Chocolate exposes itself along with a brown bread base. A dried flowery taste takes it's role accompanied by cola spices and just a dash of citrus bitters and pine.

Buoy is predominantly a lager beer focused brewery, and this ale seems to lead more in that direction as it's very crisp and light on the tongue. Virtually no sweetness, the intense bitterness slaps your face to keep you awake through this cold snap. It's elevated abv almost undetected, but it's definitely keeping me warm.

This is a good beer. More of a red IPA to me than a true Winter Warmer as it lacks that comforting rich sweetness. I think I will buy another and see what a month can do to it in hopes it smooths out its edginess.

After my official review, I gave Strong Gale Winter Ale a rating of 3.83 with an rDev of +2.1%. Cheers!

 

Cheers! Yeah it's disappointing because I think the earthy, peaty flavors of Highland Scotch can really meld well with the right sort of beer, but it seems like the balance is tough to achieve, and since Scotch barrels and, indeed Scotch itself, can be very varied and out-there in terms of flavor profiles, it seems tough to justify holding out hope for that perfect Scotch-barrel-aged Scotch ale... anyway, I'm sick of the word Scotch now. So I'm going to review a beer!

As I mentioned in my previous post today, this is a new spruce tip flavored IPA from Ipswich Brewery. These guys tend to be solid, but nothing really blows my mind (other than their oatmeal stout, which is one of the best and most affordable versions of the style around).



Pours a moderately-hazy golden/medium-amber colored ale with a dense head. Very nice legs here, and excellent lacing. This has a very impressive appearance, I must say. I had to hard pour it to really get it going, but I'm glad I did.

The nose is kind of muted, with light pine and a bland malt profile. I'm hoping that the pine and spruce are going to come across more apparently on the palate. It's kinda lightly-estery and plain with some backing floral notes. Not an aggressive or overly-impressive scent on this one, so I'm really wanting it to deliver on the palate to make up for this letdown.

Luckily, it's better tasting compared to how my first impression of it was. I get a big hit of bitter pine and a fruity, complex and coniferous hit of spruce with some light bitter florals in the finish. Clean and slightly-bitter with an easy-drinking temperament. I wish this were a bit more assertive, but it definitely has a better flavor than expected. The finish is like eating pinecones; all resinous and sharp with good oiliness. Lingering flavor with some light grapefruit oil as well. Not bad, after all. Feel is kinda medium; middling carbonation and a full body with a light yet flavorful finish. Not overly flavored, but I think Long Trail's Evergreen Blaze takes that cake... now that was a spruce beer!

I snuck one more new beer in the fridge... it's a deviation from the hoppy stuff I've spoken of today, but I'm hoping it's a good'un...

 

Love the art in particular, but the beer interests me as well. Was this difficult to get? I'm tempted to track one down now!

 

That is some interesting can art.....

 

Is that the shadow of the Ritterguts guy?

 

HA! I think they were going for more of a Jack the Ripper sort of vibe - Mr. Ritterguts looks a bit too harmless.

 

The Helles Lager doesn't use smoked malt. Don't think of it as a strict "Rauchbier" as much as a Helles that happens to have some smoke flavor due to it being produced in the same facility. You're really on the right track with your last comment above about the Krausen because it isn't a blend of old and young Marzen, but rather, a blend of the aged Helles and young Marzen. Cheers.

 

Now up Bourbon County Brand Midnight Orange Stout. I have mixed feelings about it when I heard about it, I was hoping it would remind me of chocolate oranges I enjoyed as a kid, but was unsure if they would pull it off, but they did and I am very happy!

4.59/5 rDev +6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

500 ml bottle poured into a goblet

A- Black with a small mocha head

S- Tons of milk chocolate, bourbon, oak, hints of coffee, some oranges

T- Chocolate, oranges, bourbon, some oak, touch of dark fruits.

M- Smooth, full body.

O- I was hoping this would taste like Terry’s Chocolate Oranges and this delivers. Another tasty Bourbon County variant.

Cheers NBS, hope to be back to share at least one more beer with everyone!

 

Good Afternoon BAs so I decided to compare notes with @CanConPhilly on Veil's Life Less, this 11% IPA I seem to like much less than he did. This might be the worst Veil beer I have ever had. I have never been a huge fan of Veil's TIPAs they just IMO do not do a great job of blending in the alcohol and to me they end up tasting like watered down rubbing alcohol with some juice. My main issue with this one is the appearance, I have had some snow globes in my day but damn this terrible. It floats around in the glass and looks almost like jizz!!!! I do not think I have given any beer ever such a low rating on appearance, I hope not every can they sent out looked like this. I added some pics through out my drinking process to show how it looked. Anyway I doubt i will finish it I am more of a spitter!!!






Appearance 1.75 - Pours bright orange with huge white chunks looks like big pieces of coconut. Thin white head that quickly settles to a thin cola like ring. No lacing but lots of particulate stuck to the sides.

Aroma 3.25 - Some orange and light tangerine the alcohol is coming out pretty well in the nose, actually the alcohol in the nose is almost drowning out the fruit as it warms a little.

Taste 3.25 - Lots of alcohol in the taste , muted orange again the alcohol just crushes any other flavors for me. Something really tastes off I get a really off flavor I cannot put my finger on. Really bitter and almost astringent.

Feel 3.75 - Medium bodied chalky dry finish.

Overall 3.21 - Have to say not a fan of this one, all alcohol on the nose something off on the taste.