New Beer Sunday (Week 723)

Got a house right down the road from me for sale!! 3 hours from Asheville, 2 hours from Charlotte and little over an hour from the beach. Just sayin'

 

Think they'd take a downpayment in beer?

 

Poured into a 13 oz Free Will Teku glass canned on 12/03/18 and 7% ABV. Pours a hazy yellow orange with a 2 plus finger head that leaves a ton of thick rings of lace behind as it slowly settles. 4

Smell is guava, passionfruit, tangerine, and a healthy dose of white grapefruit. 3.75

Taste follows a little tropical in the beginning guava, passionfruit, pine, and a huge hit of grapefruit in the boldly bitter finish. 3.75

Mouthfeel is bigger than average, plenty of life, a tad dry and slightly sticky, and plenty approachable at 7 percent with some lingering bitterness. 4

Overall this is solid, but was hoping for more with this one. Always enjoy the anniversary beers from these guys. Starting to get concerned about the Harpoon influence with the change of ownership. 3.75

 

Serpent's Stout from The Lost Abbey. Another bottle share with my daughter. Pours black with a massive medium brown heat that is remarkably well retained and leaves excellent lacing. Possibly the best looking beer I have come across. Smells of roasted and toasted malts with a bit of coffee. Tastes of roasted malts, espresso, cocoa powder, nuttiness, slightly burnt molasses and a woody quality. Full bodied, light to moderate bitterness, creamy mouth feel and a dry, slightly bitter finish.

 

New American Wild Ale

I'm back with my 2nd new brew today, Lost Abbey's Ghosts in the Forest Oak-Aged Wild Ale: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/18149/294506/?ba=bluejacket74#review





I thought it was a pretty good sour/wild ale, glad I bought it! Still debating on whether or not I should have another new beer today or not. Cheers!

 

Dakota Line from Dancing Gnome

One of my sons-in-law lives near Pittsburgh and for Christmas, he gave me some beers from Dancing Gnome. I had their Lustra IPA, which I enjoyed, when we were celebrating Christmas, but haven't done a review of it yet (stay tuned). Instead, right now I'm having their DIPA "Dakota Line". It's bold for sure. Here are my thoughts on it.



From a 16oz canned on 2018-12-07

A - Quite-hazy-orange with a 2-finger pillowy-white head and excellent lace

S - Hop bud forward with an emphasis on dank, grass and herbal. Then peach, pineapple and Honey Nut Cheerios. Sweet and pleasant smelling.

T - Hop forward on the flavor too with some pine and herbal sharpness. There's a pretty good amount of lightly-toasted Italian bread with apricot butter sweetness. This yields quickly to vegetal/herbal/pine/pepper flavors and a dollop of apricot and grapefruit flesh. Finishes dry with significant-but-not-over-the-top-long-lasting bitterness and abundant hop bud flavor.

M - Medium-heavy body and light-medium carbonation. Resinous and prickly, then very dry.

O - This one is hopped to the max. It's got characteristics of a NEIPA blended with a tongue-scrapper West Coast IPA; finding a compromise in-between with the feel and bitterness. No question about this one leaving a lasting hop-forward flavor on your palate.

 

NBS beer #2



Groove City Hefeweizen

RAR Brewing (Realerevival)
German Hefeweizen / 5.20% ABV

4.14/5 rDev +5.9% | Score: 3.91
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

canned 11/20/18

L-The beer pours a hazy yellow with a 1 finger of pale white froth. The head recedes to a ring and small island leaving irregular patches of lace.
S-Wonderfully strong tones of banana with more subtle clove presence.
T- The nose translates wonderfully here. Big flavors of banana accented with clove. The wheat gives those flavors a neutral stage to perform on. Wheat is there, but very much in the backround.
F-Mouthfeel overall is on the lighter side of medium. Carbonation is very light.
O-An excellent American made Hefeweizen. If you like the style, I highly recommend it.

 

Good afternoon BAs and happy New Blow-my-mind Sunday. Once again, the adventure trail has been fizzling to a halt lately. Had some relatives stay with us over this Christmas break who were able to be taxid(?) around all week to the usual fun spots while I got a heavy dose of work. All was well though as our nights were filled with fun times and great beer.

To acknowledge our host @cjgiant 's inquiry, 2018 was indeed a big year. For personal life, we spent our first full year as Portlandians. We also moved my mom up here so she could retire and be around her grandkids. And I got a job. The exact job I was hoping for in fact, so plenty of positives. Beer was also an incredible indulgence in 2018, and along with Craig's opinion, Rusty Nail was definitely in the top of of my list. I've also been lucky enough to thoroughly enjoy an offering or two (or twenty) from perhaps my favorite all time brewery, Hair of the Dog.

Speaking of, my new beer today comes from a fellow fan of HotD who seems to share a similar palate. @joe1510 and I have shared many beers with each other (via mail) and I am always excited when I receive something from him. I'm following in his footsteps today with this guy. Thanks ahead of time for this one Joe.

Scratch Brewing Co.
Barrel-Aged Cedar Oak- Ale brewed with juniper berries





This gorgeous beer has a soft yellow glowing body. A smooth look to it as bubbles constantly rush the sides of the glass like a delicate polish. They support a stark white snowy looking powder above that leaves a mountain range of lacing around the glass. As the sips keep coming, the peaks resign to small patches and trickles. (4.25)

The pop of the cap gave off an immediate tart breeze. Digging in, green apple skins with a squeeze of fresh lime open the salivary floodgates. Juniper berries are easily distinguishable giving off a drop of spruce sap. Musty and damply saturated old wooden panels end the complexities. (4.5)

Each sip gives off a new experience. Initially, a funky, sweaty, lemon lime. Though I've never actually pressed tongue to surface, dive bar beer soaked carpet comes to mind. Dirty dish water perhaps? Sounds horrible, right? Wrong. It's delicious. Just as that wave crashes, the juniper comes in along with a clean, freshly cracked wheat graininess. Tannic old wood along with peach juice make the finish perhaps the best part. (4.5)

Subtle tartness, less than expected actually, is complemented by a perfect blend of wild funk. Lively carbonation swirls the delicate flavors and velvety, plush feel, like fuzzy peach skin appropriately enough, all around. A very light finish makes it easy to detect its superb balance. As each sip awaits the next, a nice warming sensation cozies up the experience. (4.75)

My first beer from Scratch is a friggin knockout. This is about as good an experience as the first time I had Ale Apothecary's Sahalie. Absolutely delicious with a one of a kind feel. (4.5)

Thanks again Joe.

After my official review, I gave Barrel-Aged Cedar Oak a rating of 4.51 with an rDev of +1.6%.

Cheers!

 

Back for #2 as I settle in for the second round of NFL action. Oskar Blues is another brewery I frequent in my Colorado travels. The Longmont and Boulder locations are both about 25 minutes away and are great for scoring barrel aged beer without waiting in line. I'm still getting used to seeing Cigar City options in the coolers remembering they're joined at the hip along with Perrin. This bomber of Cigar City 110K + OT Batch #6 caught my eye. It's a imperial stout brewed with raspberries and aged in port barrels. The abv. is 10% and I'm pouring it in a wine glass because it's port barrel aged.

It pours thick and oily black producing a fat finger of creamy dark mocha foam. It slowly settles to a thin cap leaving a trace of lacing behind. Smells like crushed raspberries, molasses and a hint of leather. The taste is raspberry forward with a little tobacco, molasses and oak. The feel is thick and creamy smooth like a stout should be!



A decadent raspberry dessert beer. I feel like I've eaten a pound of them after the first glass. I feel the port barrel probably adds to the fruit forward taste. It's very good, but I'd love to try a bourbon barrel version for comparison. My score is 4.08 / rDev-5.1%.

Kicking back watching the Bears take the early lead over the Vikes. It's nice to see my hometown team relevant once again. Enjoy the rest of your new beer adventures today. Here's the official scorecard for mine.....

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/17981/97865/?ba=Prager62#review

 

Good afternoon NBS, starting my day with Victory Java Cask Maple. I am a huge fan of Java Cask and have been seeking it out since it was firsted released. I will say that I remember liking the other bottle I had a little more, think it might be a little cold, might have to make some adjustments to my score and review as it warms.

4.59/5 rDev +7.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

750 ml bottle poured into a teku

A- Black with a two finger mocha head

S- Coffee, oak, malple, bourbon, some chocolate

T- Coffee, bourbon, maple, oak, dark chocolate

M- Smooth, full body

O- Another great version of Java Cask, coffee and maple work well together, nice balance

Cheers!

 

The only thing preventing me from thinking that label is creepy is because, after all, I'm a Richmond Spider!

 

Poured into a 13 oz Kettlehead Snulip canned on 12/27/18. Pours a very attractive amber orange with a 2 finger sticky white head that leaves webs of lace behind with excellent retention. 4.75

Smell is apricot, tangerine, pine resin, and grapefruit rind very pleasant. 4

Taste follows tangerine, apricot, pine, and a healthy dose of grapefruit hits the tongue and palate and reminds you why you fell in love with the style nearly 10 years ago. 4.25

Mouthfeel is a solid medium, plenty of life, a touch dry, and at 7% ABV goes down very easy. 4

Overall this is a very old school IPA, one of the owner slash brewers had this as a home brew when the started out and it was excellent work then and it holds up now. 4

 

That beer was not hazy when I had it in Decorah in October 2014, and it wasn't sweet - straight-up dank, Mosaic hop bomb that featured "normal" hop haze you see in big, hoppy beers. I loved it then, would be curious to see how much it has changed. I know King Sue has changed pretty significantly in the 2+ years since I tried it, and so has Pseudo Sue (tried for the first time on that same trip to Decorah in October 2014 - bought 2 cases of the "Decorah" bombers which were sublime).

Of course, I'd have to move to Connecticut to do so, since Indiana has no TG distro.

Not that I'm bitter about that (pun intended).

 

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Samplers and commentators. I hope you've all enjoyed a wonderful holiday so far. It's been great for us as both our son and daughter have visited with us. Our daughter will be here for another few days. I've spent the past two days beer shopping for BIF boxes.

My first new beer review is a mystery beer I received from @Bum4ever as part of the NBS BIF 8.5 Secret Santa.



I can tell from the cap that it's from Russian River, which is really exciting. It's a 12 oz. cork and cage bottle.


It pours a hazy gold with orange hues. The effervescent, ecru-color head dissipated quickly. It has the unmistakable smell of brett yeast so it appears to be a Wild Ale of some type, or perhaps a Belgian Gueuze. There is also the scent of sour lemon.

It's puckeringly sour, in a good way. The taste opens with lemon and perhaps some lime, but there is also a subtle balancing sweetness at the finish. It tastes like white wine grapes. As the glass warms there is also notes of oak and the finish is quite bitter. The feel is crisp and light with lively carbonation, and the ABV isn't very high.

The reveal:


Beatification. Wow, I'm impressed! Thank you, Josh, for the chance to try this. While I confess I don't drink a lot of sours, this one is fabulous! The flavors are bold and there is enough sweetness to balance the sour notes. Josh sent me some other Russian River ales and it will be hard to pace myself. Cheers and Happy New Year, everyone!

 

Bell's Bourbon Barrel Aged Expedition Stout, 13.4% ABV. Pours black with a one finger brown head that left no lacing. Nose is chocolate and alcohol, taste follows, plus roast malt and oak, with a slight sweetness and slight bitterness. Smooth but dry mouthfeel, overall outstanding. I prefer this over Black Note.

 

Your third paragraph sounds like me a year ago. I too grew tired of the midwest winters and feel your pain in Minnesota as I have a niece in Hibbing. Do your research and follow your heart. Life is too short and regret is a bitch to live with!

 

Good afternoon NBS and thanks to @cjgiant for the new year words of wisdom.
I lost my job in foodservice last December this very day. It's a job I had been doing for 18 years after my 17 years in restaurants cooking. Came as a shock and I decided to step back into the cooking again. Honestly I've kind of been in a tailspin since then. I'm on my third stint and trying to find my place again. So I say to 2018 don't let the door hit you in the ass as you pass.
Now for the good news. A longtime friend and former employee who now is a top brewer with a major label here in RI just took over the restaurant portion of his brewery. He always said he would ring me up and that he did. Looks like there's a good chance I will be taking over and doing some really cool shit again. The rough idea is to change the menu weekly or so- kind of a food truck on premise concept, rotation to keep people interested. So I'm a little excited.......
As I am to try another beer from Foreign Objects. Today's brew is a double with lactose. I guess you'd call it a Double Milky Fruity IPA. (They do)A style quite honestly I haven't been enamoured with. Figured I would give it a shot since I've liked almost everything from FO. 6 bucks a can. A little ridiculous. Hope it's decent, let's find out.
Pours a hazy, but not turbid golden sunset color with a 1/2" head that has large sponge-like bubbles that settle to a thin ring with some spotty lacing.
Being a peach nut right away I'm blasted by a wonderful super candied peach aroma. Then the mango and juicy passionfruit kick in with tangerine, pine resin and some gooseberry/white grape notes. It has that dankness to the ninth degree as well. The hops aren't listed but I'll be damned if there isn't a good dose of Mosaic in this one.
Flavors follow with juicy peach, tropical fruits and citrus with a nice piney resin on the back. It full of fruity flavors almost juicy fruit quality but the pleasant bitterness rounds it out.
The mouth is medium full with that luscious creaminess from the lactose that just mellows those flavors finishing with a rather dry and surprisingly not very sweet, but carbonated and nicely bitter finish. Dynamite.
FO certainly knows their hops. What really set this apart is strictly the use of fruity hops rather than fruit itself. I know Decadent Ale Milkshake seems to be the rage but it's not really my cup of tea. This is.
It keeps the hops and bitterness and just smooths it out with the lactose. And its gone.....
I will be ringing in the new year behind the stove tomorrow night so hope you all have a good one and an excellent and promising 2019.
Cheers!

 

Looks like you found a great place to land! How did you settle on Colorado, and whereabouts are you living there now? I actually took a little trip to Denver (for Great American Beer Fest) in 2017 and liked it there a lot - it's on my list of possibilities!

 

I had Winter Landscape during my first visit to the brewery on 2018-12-20. I really enjoyed it. Review coming soon.