New Beer Sunday (Week 720)

Last new for me tonight. I'll be diving into some video games after this. This one is another Missouri NE IPA from a different brewery from my last post.



Narrow Gauge's Double Dry Hopped Cloud City.

Pours an opaque orange with a finger of white foam that retains well. Aroma is tangerine, papaya, orange and lemon zest, and greenery. Flavor profile is a smooth induction of flavors, but then comes off a little biting and aggressive. It hits notes of tangerine, papaya, orange zest, and vegetable juice along the way. Biscuity, bready malts form a little base for the hops, but overall it's hoppy with a sharp bite. Mouth feel is still, with a medium-thick consistency. Overall, big hop notes with a little juiciness, but the biting qualities counteract the welcoming hops qualities.

Score: 4.25 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | BA Score: 4.02 | rDev: -6.5%

 

New Pigeon Hill pastry stout. This was fantastic. Great rocky head retention/soapy lacing. Aromas and flavors of huge milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, marshmallow, vanilla, cream, nuts, graham cracker, toasted biscuit, and dark bread; with light notes of licorice, molasses, dark fruit, smoke, char, herbal/peppery hops, and yeast earthiness. Light herbal/peppery hop and roast/char bitterness on the finish. Light-medium carbonation and fairly full body; very creamy, silky, bready malts; light sticky hops and chalky char/roast in the mouthfeel. Lightly increasing lingering hop/char bitter dryness, no acrid/astringent. Dangerously smooth, minimal warming 10%. Amazing balance of rich malts, marshmallow, cocoa, and graham cracker flavorings; with nice earthy hop presence against sweetness. Wow, glad I got another can. 4.25


Cheers

Definitely top 5 for the year. Precambrian is one of my top 5 favorite albums of all time, and the fact they revisited the same type of style/concept album is all I needed. 2nd part comes out in 2020.

 

Christmas Story is the only thing allowed on the TV when TBS does their 24 hour run of the movie on Christmas Eve/Christmas.

 

Happy NBS everyone! Just had a couple new brews today:



https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/335/276368/?ba=bluejacket74#review



https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/50646/326979/?ba=bluejacket74#review

Just watching the Bengals lose right now, unlike most of those Hallmark movies I don't think there will be a happy ending for my team today!

 

Good evening NBS
I've survived the 5 hour trip home from my folk's place today and it's time to get down to business. I was shocked last year that I was unable to secure one Belgian Christmas beer of Belgian origin for the online tasting. This year, I left nothing to chance and ordered a bunch of Belgian beers online. This is the first and highest rated of the Christmas beers...

The review:
11.2oz bottle bb 22/08/20 poured into a Corsendonk tulip glass at fridge temp and allowed to warm 8.5% ABV. The beer pours medium brown in color with prolific tan colored head. The head settles to a foamy island and ring leaving spots of lacing all down the glass. The aroma reveals sweet bread, brown sugar, dark dried fruits and cherries. The taste is semisweet breads, brown sugar and dark fruits with a firm and equalizing bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium to thin bodied with above average carbonation and a dry finish. The alcohol is very restrained and unnoticeable in aroma or taste. Overall, very good. Very well executed and balanced BSDA. Recommended, especially if the sweetness of other Belgian beers is a concern.

My thoughts on @lordofthewiens opening comments are this. You nailed it. My preferred method is to go about my business until the last 30 minutes of the movie. Then sit down beside my wife like I've been there the whole time. This lends a high probability to romance in my immediate future without the full 2 hour commitment. I've tested this theory multiple times and can report that less that 30 minutes will substantially reduce the success rate. YMMV.

Cheers all and enjoy the new beer in your glass!

 

This is my second (and last) new beer of the day: Alvarado St. — Froth Bite. This one is a 6.5% single NEIPA brewed with Cascade and Simcoe pellets, as well as Citra Cryo powder. I'll say it again, I have no idea how cryo-hopping works, but I seem to like its effects on the NEIPAs that use it. While inspecting the bottom of the can, I found the date of 12/03/18 and an inspirational message: "Practice Safe Sax." Good advice, I guess. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Awesome artwork on the label too:

Despite what the picture makes it look like, this one comes in a murky bright yet deep yellow color. Head formation was pretty weak. My aggressive pour hard down the middle only yielded a finger of head. The bubbles in the head are not exactly uniform, and both the head retention and lacing are below—average for the style. Smell is very pungent (as are all Alvarado IPAs fwiw), and it is dominated by bright notes of oranges, tangerines, and some yeast (Note: yeast is more apparent as the beer warms). Taste follows the nose well, this thing is very fruity. I mean, this is orange juice. I wouldn't expect this amount of juice notes from a Cascade-Simcoe hop profile, so I guess the yeast does the bulk of the job here. That said, the yeast is not overpowering. The whole package ... just works. Overall, the taste and the smell are both very enjoyable for a New England-style beer. Feel is a spot-on NEIPA. You all know what good NEIPA's are supposed to feel like, there is no need for me to describe it.

I'm very pleased with this beer. As far as I know, the previous batch of this beer was pretty meh, so much so that two weeks ago this had an Untappd rating of 3.95. Two weeks later, and the rating is 4.07. Take that for whatever it's worth. It's a good NEIPA, it definitely tastes like an Alvarado St. IPA, and I'm glad to have had it.

4.25 | 4.25 | 4.5 | 4.25 | 4.25
Final Rating: 4.35 | rDev: +5.3% — as expected, since like I said, the new batch is supposed to be miles ahead of the previous one.


Cheers!

 

First time for me got in newbie bif was awesome stuff

 

Next up from @r0rschach Kilt Switch from 903 Brewers an excellent Wee Heavy. Tons of dark fruit and caramel/toffee.



Appearance 4.25 - Pours deep ruby color with thin tan head that settles to a thick ring.

Aroma 4.5 - Lots of raisin, fig and plum, caramel, toffee. Nice and sweet really rich.

Taste 4.5 - Taste follows the nose not quite as sweet but lots of plum and raisin. Caramel, toffee, malts, very light sweetness no sign of the alcohol.

Feel 4.5 - Medium bodied smooth little heat from the alcohol. soft carbonation.

Overall 4.49 - Lots of dark fruit nice and sweet balanced.

 

Good evening, NBS friends. Our friend @lordofthewiens continues to top himself with his introductory posts: finding a way to work Hallmark holiday movies into a thread celebrating new beers is inspired.

I have a couple of beers to review today. The first helped change the beer industry by VERY BOLDLY telling beer nerds the date they need to consume a beer by for maximum enjoyment. Little O once decided to ignore this advice.

It did not turn out well. But this beer did, in fact it turned out very well, IMHO.



4.24/5 rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

This gorgeous beer is a burnt orange color and PERFECTLY clear in my glass, with an inch of foamy off-white head as a cap. Just wow.

The nose is a banquet of fruity hop aromas, some dank, some tropical, some piney, all mouthwatering. The taste is led by the dank tropical citrus notes, and there’s also a piney note - part of the incredible 12 different hop varietals used in this beer.

The only nit to pick with this beer is the mouthfeel - it is full, as expected for a DIPA, but it is dry-ish. There’s an oily component that doesn’t link to the brut IPA style.

Still, this is another delicious DIPA in this iconic series from a brewery that is always on my “gotta have” list whenever I see another new beer from them.

 

Happy New New England Style IPA Sunday!

Really nice day on the Western Slope, around 42, sunny, still some snow around at the trailhead. Having a very tasty brew @Buck89 for the chance. Always a joy to drink something from BI. Watching some Soprano's reruns, been probably 8 years since the last time I watched this, funny fuckn' shit, the mother is hilarious. Will be back with another new brew later on.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/39925/377314/?ba=Wasatch#review

Cheers!

 

Getting ready for chicken wings dinner, so I have switched to a Pilsener.


3.87/5 rDev -0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

uA little light in color, but good head, although fades quickly.
Aroma is fantastic. Classic Pilsener.
Taste is mildly disappointing after the aroma. Peppery, not dacetyl but a little mild.
Carbonation is also mild for the style.
I would drink it in a pinch, but certainly my least favorite SInglecut to date.

 

Their Landscape series was fantastic all around this year, and I'm happy to see you're enjoying this one. I don't think they make it into the normal distribution channels, though. IA has some accounts in NY where they self-distribute, so those will be your best bet if you don't want to make the trip up there.

Fwiw- I wouldn't call this one a Schwartzbier, and if American Black Lager was a thing this beer would be its poster boy . Unfortunately, Beer Advocate doesn't have a catch-all black lager category, so stuff like this gets lumped in with the German Schwartzbiers (which essentially is functioning as a catch-all category anyway).

 

Wasn't difficult for me - lol - on an end-cap display at Total Wine - it hasn’t made an appearance at my local shops (yet?), but that doesn't mean much. TW gets some stuff first, other stores get other stuff first; and all stores (TW included) tend to turn up stuff you won't find elsewhere... Well, I guess that makes my response pretty fucking useless, eh? lol

Hope you're able to find a bottle - it was great stuff - I've also got two of their Origin of Darkness releases (also from TW) (I passed on the strawberry and lemon (?) one, though it was on the shelves, too)...

Cheers...

 

New flavored cream ale. This was excellent! Great head retention/soapy lacing. Aromas and flavors of big juicy/tart/tangy blueberries, fruit skin/seed, vanilla, cream, cracker, biscuit dough, and light honey/toasted malts; with light herbal, grassy, peppery hops. Light herbal, grassy, peppery bitterness; and fruit tang/tartness on the finish. Medium carbonation/body. Creamy/silky/grainy malts; light sticky hops and fruit tang/acidity in the mouthfeel. Lightly increasing lingering tart/bitter dryness, no astringent flavors. Very smooth, pretty refreshing, minimal warming 7%. Great balance of authentic blueberries, vanilla, and clean malts; with solid earthy hop presence against sweetness. Tastes like a blueberry ice cream cone as advertised. Just as impressive as cranium crush, the raspberry version. 4


Cheers

 

Hi NBS!
I'm late to the party today. I have had a very full day that saw me cramming for a big French test coming up on Wednesday, brewing a dark mild, making spent grain dog treats for X-Mas presents with the leftovers and making a batch of stew that is simmering as I type this. Basically lots of hanging in the kitchen listening to music.
It is finally cold and the Christmas decorations are semi-put up so a Barleywine seemed like an appropriate idea. This is one I have longingly gazed at on here and elsewhere many times before and I am happy to be able to finally try it tonight.

Wow. This is a tasty damn beer.
It pours dark and just on the edge of opaque with a cute little head. The aroma and flavor both hint at harshness and delivering velvety malty sweetness. There is some fruity, spice cake aroma to it, but the flavor is completely toffee and nuts with some background spice and warming alcohol. Lovely to drink. This is one worth seeking out if you're like me and don't usually come across it.

Here is my review if'n ya care about that sorta thing.

Cheers!

 

#2, I’ve been holding this for a month or so.

The wait is over.

PS: huge shoutout to @beertunes for this glass from a prior NBS BIF. One of my 5 favorite glasses (and I’ve got a LOT of glasses).



4.25/5 rDev +6.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

I haven’t even finished pouring this and I love it - huge chocolate aromas on the nose, plus some caramel. The beer pours black with a tan head, and there’s some leakage to mahogany on the edges.

The taste is focused on the chocolate, but there’s also significant caramel notes. The mouthfeel is a bit creamy, and fits the style perfectly. Just a magnificent example of the style, IMHO.

 

Enjoying some Mad Eld Grand Cru trying to avoid a heart attack watching this Eagles-Cowboys game.

4.33/5 rDev +6.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

750 ml bottle, 2018, poured into a tulip

A- A clear ruby red with a small reddish head

S- Sweet, some tart cherries, honey, earthy spice, hints of cinnamon and cloves.

T- Cherries, mostly sweet but a nice tartness, honey, earthy spice, some cloves, touch of cinnamon.

M- Smooth, medium to full body.

O- Not very different but different enough, really enjoyable if you are a Mad Elf fan.

Cheers!

 

Back with another new one from Southern Grist. This is billed as a "sour IPA," and I think it defies a typical category. It's an ale brewed with lactose, tangerine, pineapple, and vanilla. Copious amounts of Mouteka, El Dorado, and Mosaic were used. I'm fairly certain that this was kettle-soured in the way that they produce their other sours. I guess what I'm trying to say is that is part milkshake IPA and part sour. In the end, who the hell cares? How does it taste?


It tastes good! Very hazy golden yellow color in the glass with a medium sized white head that settled promptly. A bright tropical aroma featured pineapple and mango. There was also a vanilla milkshake aspect to the nose. There was plenty of fruit on the taste, and a moderate clean tartness made this feel juicy as hell. Primarily pineapple and citrus. The lactose and vanilla gave the beer a nice heft and was a nice counterpoint to the tartness. Moderate bitterness. Really enjoyable. Not quite a milkshake IPA, but enough of the element to keep all the fruit in line. This really grew on me throughout the pint. Cheers!