New Beer Sunday (Week 727)

It’s so refreshing to see a beer like that on NBS. For today, I had two 16oz cans lined up for NBS that’ll be here today gone tomorrow.

 

Trying this fine Monday Night Brewing Situation Ethics - Gingerbread variant. Lovin this. 4.4 from me.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/26516/386487/?ba=StraightNoChaser#review

 

New week, new beer! Had an awesome haul on Friday, and this is part of the loot!
Moonraker - Papillon DIPA, featuring Strata, Citra, and Simcoe hops. 8.5%abv.

Canned 1/18/19. Consumed from tulip glass.
L: Pours a bright orange color, resembling diluted cutie juice. The amount of haze is evident, completely opaque. This look likes a proper NEIPA juice bomb. From a simple non-aggressive pour, about a finger of a loosely packed off-white cap formed and dissipated rapidly. Glass lacing is minimal but does leaves spots of sudsy foam randomly on the edge of the glass.
S: Very fruit-forward. Loads of melon, orange, grapefruit, lemon, and papaya with hints of cracked black pepper. Crackery yeast aroma is also detectible which meshes well with the lemongrassy hop profile. Overall, it is very juice-driven.
T: As expected, a hoppy juice bomb. Tons of citrus with healthy amounts of mango, pineapple and papaya. The finish consists of grassy hop flavor with lingering notes of apricot, pineapple, orange and yeast. Slightly dry at the finish with pleasant aftertaste.
F: Medium in body but somewhere between medium to full in weight. It has that soft, creamy, pillowy texture that I love in NEIPAs. Carbonation is low to moderate, leaning more to the lower side of the spectrum. Alcohol is not apparent.
O: This is an exceptional brew. As I toy with it and try to sit and keep myself from glugging it too fast, it really starts to blossom. The smell has gotten better as it sits, becoming even more aromatic. The flavor is straight juice, and the feel ties up the entire experience.
4.54/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

 

New Wild Ale Sunday (Week 727)
Goood afternoon all you lager lovers, ale adorers, beer believers and stout achievers, Happy New Beer Sunday from on the ridge in Mid Hud Val, NY.

Tough day at work, windy and cold with flurries whipping through, and many customers. Sad biopsy results for the man who replaced me, and who I now replace temporarily, he's in my prayers. Hard to not spend time catching up with all of the Sunday folks I haven't seen since my, err... retirement, haha, and I admit I caused a line of cars all the way to the gate during peak hours today as folks conversated (love that non-word). Town Supervisor was in to see how it's going, and you could tell he was loving to see things again the way they are supposed to be when the center is run right. Win-win situation, town saves a buncha money, and more material gets recycled.

Today's beer is one I couldn't resist buying with no info, I just love the combination of wild ale and apricot. Not gonna post the horrible pic I took, horrible even by my own pathetic standards. Never learned or needed to know how to take a proper pic as I was married to a master for over 25 years.

Grimm Midheaven Wild Ale. Drinking it now, jotting notes, will add full review to the base later.

Y'all likely haven't had Bullfrog Grrrz Apricot, but the nose is exactly as I remember that one, a wonderful mix of sharp and rounded tart, light earthy funk, light peppery notes, apricot jam, with lemon limey/overripe fruit funk accompaniment that is highly inviting. The taste is full strength goodness, a well balanced display of all the flavors of the aroma. Very delicious, with the sharper tart notes more subdued than in aroma, to good advantage. Clean and refreshing, complex and interesting. Highly recommended. If you like fruited wild ales I guarantee you'll love this.

Hope you also have a Great American Beer in your glass. Cheers!

 

Spent the weekend in a cabin with some good friends. Now that I'm home, I'm focusing on some Missouri brews. At least for starters. First up -



Schlafly's Ibex Cellar: Local Oak.

Pours a foggy copper-orange with a finger of white fizzy, foam. Head bubbles away quickly, with an audible pop and fizz. Aroma is tart and sharp, hitting notes of grapefruit, melon dew, grapes, oak, and cherries. Flavor profile is grapefruit, melon dew, cherries and grapes add lively fruit qualities that blend well with a slight tart sourness. An oak note at the start and finish adds dryness that beautifully opens and concludes the lightly tart and sour presentation. Mouth feel is fizzy and effervescent, but remains medium at the thickest and thin at the thinnest. In other words, the body and presence is light, and nears on crisp. Overall, fruity notes are nice and aren't focused in any particular direction, making for a delightful sour sipper.

Score: 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | BA Score: 4 | rDev: -0.5%

 

Good afternoon and happy New Berry Sunday, BAs. Not a whole lot going on here in the PNW other than had an unexpected surprise visit from some good old friends from LA. A mini tour of North Portland for them was the extent of my excursions this weekend, but a great time it was including another wonderful visit to Cathedral Park.



Had my first night at graveyard shift last night/this morning followed by a few hours of sleep, so thought I should reward myself for surviving night one. Sorry if this is a bit off. Perhaps mirroring my current state...

Deschutes
The Dissident- Aged with Oregon Marionberries





Relief. The pop of the waxed cap releases an enthusiastic gush, but to my surprise, does not transfer in appearance. A crystal clear berry red body wears an eager to leave purple tinted foam cap. Once descended, nothing but clean ruby and plum colors shimmer, reminiscent of church wine.

A small bill of aromas, yet each are abundant. The clear up front winner being the delicious black berry hybrid. Marionberry, Blackberry, Boysenberry. Take your pick. I'll go with the Marion as it delivers an added tartness to the senses. A lovely level of acidity opens the floodgates from the back of the mouth. Oak and cinnamon provide a savory and spicy aspect.

The first draw and I'm brought back to the ceremonial sip of communion. Luckily there is no metallic chalice flavor, nor the residue of 1,000 other lips from the congregation. But the berry influence is wine like. Concord grape sweetness meets blackberry tartness. A clean oak stave cuts through the middle with spices rounding out the edges.

Appropriately in line with the flavors, this has it all. Sour flows into sweet, then savory, then spicy, then full circle. The tartness not too puckering. There is seemingly little to no carbonation, but the acidity and dryness act in its place. The elevated 11.7 abv is undetectable other than it's altering effects.

This beverage had me very excited. In years past, The Dissident had eluded me year after year. When I finally had the pleasure, it was worth the wait. This variant is delicious, but not as great as its base in my opinion, which only slightly bums me out as the Marionberry is perhaps my favorite of the fruit world. Still, an exceptional treat and one not worth passing on.

After my official review, I gave this a rating of 4.13 with an rDev of -1.9%

Cheers.

 

NBS review #2. Historic Rivalry is a NE IPA brewed by Backward Flag Brewing Co. of Forked River, NJ, in collaboration with Tattered Flag Brewing of Middletown, PA. Both breweries are owned by military veterans and this beer celebrates the annual Army-Navy football game. It was canned on or about 12/5/2018. To my mind it's not a NE IPA in appearance. The smell features lots of sweet citrus but the taste is quite bitter. That may be due to age. It's fine but I didn't like it nearly as much as the Black Ale from Backward Flag that I reviewed last Sunday. Profits from this brew go to aid veterans. I plan on visiting Backward Flag the next time I head up or down the Garden State Parkway to the Shore. Here's my full review:

3.81/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

This is a collaboration between Backward Flag Brewing in New Jersey and Tattered Flag Brewing in Pennsylvania. Canned on or about 12/5/2018 to honor the Army-Navy football game. Poured into a tulip glass. It pours a cloudy, golden-orange color with a thin, bright white cap and a thin sheen of creamy lacing. On the nose there is lemon, grapefruit, pineapple, tangerine, lite pine, and floral hops. The taste opens with a burst of sweet citrus: pineapple and tangerine, along with tart lemon. There is also a hint of vanilla/lactose. I could not determine exactly what hops were used but they provide a decidedly bitter finish. The mouth feel is crisp and light with a pleasant level of carbonation, and at 6% ABV the drinking is easy. To me this isn't a classic NEIPA either in appearance or taste but it's a tasty, easy-drinking, refreshing ale and it celebrates something really special.

 

Good evening NBS, hope everyone is enjoying the end of the weekend once again. Normal week and weekend as usual. Made a modest beer haul this weekend, but it was not as much as I hoped for. It gets harder to find new beer by the week. Will have to seek out some more trades probably. Got some new glasses and an eye exam last week for the first time in 4 years. Been catching up on my health checkups recently.

Beer:

Brand new stuff, glad they are can dating now. This was amazing! Great head retention/lacing, deep ruby/purple color. Aromas and flavors of huge juicy/tart/tangy blackberries, black currant, fruit skin/seed, plum, lemon, lime, orange, peach, pear, melon, apricot, red/green apple, red grape/wine, hay, straw, and grass; with moderate vanilla, cream, wheat, cracker, white bread dough malt sweetness; light lacto funk, and yeast earthiness. Light-moderate fruity/lactic tartness, fruit tang, and light spiciness on the finish. Medium carbonation/body; creamy/bready/grainy wheat/lactose; some lactic acid and fruit tang/tannins in the mouthfeel. Light-moderate increasing acidic/tangy dryness, no pucker. Very flavorful/refreshing, 4.5%. Not overly lactic. Amazing balance of huge jammy fruit and Lacto complexity; with lactose, and pale/wheat malts against acidity. Looking forward to more cans from them soon. This was top tier for a milkshake sour. Will get again. 4.35


Cheers

 

Not missing anything. As I drank more, I feel that the beer itself (drinking experience included) earned a 4.75/5. The combo of the smell, feel and flavor together earns it a 4.75 overall. I hopes this makes any sense. Definitely one of my favorites from Moonraker.

 

More Missouri beer for me tonight.



Schlafly's Ibex Cellar: Barrel-Aged Saison.

Pours foggy golden-copper with two fingers of white foam. A ring of white foam lingers long after the head dissipates. Barrel and fruity bubblegum and banana pop out immediately in the aroma. Beyond this trifecta, subtle yeast, clove, and oak swirl together to further develop the aroma in an approachable complexity. Flavor profile is fruity bubblegum, banana, yeast esters, clove, spicy and herbal hops, with smooth oak and barrel rounding it all out. There is a faint dryness that helps curtail the fruits and bubblegum slightly, although they continue to linger a long while. Mouth feel is medium-thick with a fuzzy, effervescent, silty, filling texture. It delivers a lot by way of texture. Overall, a splendid use of saison and barrel, allowing fruity, yeasty, spicy notes to ebb and flow with the barrel imparted notes.

Score: 4 | 4 | 4 | 4.25 | 4.25 | BA Score: 4.08 | rDev: +0.5% (1 other rating/review)

 

Never even heard of this brewery, but my friend gave me it for free. This was a delicious English brown ale. Great rocky head retention/foamy lacing. Aromas and flavors of caramel, brown sugar, toffee, roasted nuts, brown bread dough/crust, and toasted biscuit malts; with lighter notes of chocolate, cocoa, coffee, raisin, plum, fig, pear, red apple, herbal, floral, grass, pepper, and yeast earthiness. A bit muted aromas. Light-moderate herbal, floral, grassy, peppery, roasted bitterness on the finish. Medium carbonation/body; creamy/bready/grainy malts, some sticky hops, and light chalky roast in the mouthfeel. Light-moderate increasing bitter dryness, no cloying/astringency. Very smooth, 5.2%. Very flavorful for the ABV. Great rich and well rounded English malt complexity; with restrained fruity English yeast, and balancing earthy hops against sweetness. Spot on stuff for the style. 3.91


Cheers

 

I am probably going to be sipping on this gem for a bit while catching up on some shows. Transient collaboration with Saint Errant BA No Cake. An oatmeal stout aged in bourbon and BLIS maple syrup barrel brewed with vanilla, chocolate, graham cracker and cinnamon. This is a very dessert like stout and hits all the notes, I love the nose and the taste on this one. The cinnamon is a bit strong so if you do not like cinnamon you may not like this but I love it so this one is perfect for me. Thanks to @LloydDobler for sending this my way!!!




Appearance 4.25 - Pours black with a thin tan head that quickly dissipates to a thin ring around the glass. Just a few spots of lacing in the glass.

Aroma 4.5 - Tons of cinnamon vanilla, chocolate the graham cracker comes in as it warms a bit. The nose is really sweet, cake batter like sweetness. This thing smells incredible. I am not getting much bourbon but this is a dessert stout for sure.

Taste 4.5 - Taste is a little more subdued on the cinnamon but it probably still comes out the most. Rich chocolate fudge, vanilla, bourbon flavor is really nice along with just a hint of barrel. Getting a little maple in the taste I did not find in the nose.

Feel 4.25 - High side of medium, very nice warming for the alcohol, smooth very easy drinking for 12%.

Overall 4.46 - Very well done stout, I absolutely love the flavor, super easy drinking and smooth.

 

Beautiful brew I received from @thebeers in a recent secret Santa BIF.

Light orange straw with a few whispy floating islands between a thin off-white collar. Slight haze after careful pour.

Aroma is earthy oak, tart candy and hint of white fleshed fruit

Flavor is bright tartness followed by subtle but delicious nectarine. Background of earthy wood barrel and sweetness.

Fine carbonation, dry with less than medium body.

Overall a tasty and delicious brew. Great use of fruit, doesn’t take over but doesn’t get lost.

Thanks!

 

Goooood afternoon, NBSers

This was canned 1/16, and just arrived Thursday. (from an hour away - killin' me, Mr Distributor, who is ~6 mi away, just over the hill.) I've liked all of Good Nature's hoppy stuff (when it wasn't old^) , so decided to give it a try. Described as a white IPA.

I've never had such a thing, and neither the can, nor any of the brewery's sites/pages explain what that might be. I reviewed it, before looking. Well...…. my perception seemed to fall within the range described in a 2015 article, when several breweries started putting them out : sort of a hybrid of an IPA and a Belgian wit.

The color on my photo is close to what I see with my eyes. Pale, diluted, yellow. At some angles, it looks a tad brown/pink-ish, as in the photo ; at some angles/ amount of sunlight (in-&-out sun , & snow flurries) it looks like pineapple juice diluted with graywater. That is the reason for my "look" downgrade.

The aroma is the first thing actually noticeable. Very noticeable as I poured! Whoa! I could smell it from ~8' away, as I took photos, despite a brisk breeze , and a snow squall. Grapefruit, & pineapple juice were well-apparent from that distance . After the photo, sticking my nose in also got some vague mixed fruit, something herbal akin to a dusting of sage, some spiciness (Yeast? Rye? Coriander &/or black pepper?) , pie crust (wheat?) , and a bit of sour.(as in lemonade) . The brewery description is about their perception of the vibe, not what's actually in it. ("Winters in New York are long." Yeah, no s***! , but what is in the $#@&&^%!!! beer? )

The flavor was much simpler : GRAPEFRUIT PITH, spiciness, sage(tiny amt.) , other fruit , and a constant DRY, grapefruit-pith-bitterness.

The feel was light, but somewhat creamy. Not watery, nor was the carbonation prickly in the least , as might be expected, given the 5.4% abv, and the overall flavor profile.

The verdict : once I got used to the simple flavor, and the dryness, I enjoyed it very much. This would be killer on a hot July day. (Hint! , GN. ) After a day hauling the summer-cut wood home, across the (finally!) frozen ground ...yeah, this would be good.(Glad I don't have to do that anymore.) This was even dryer than the Ommegang Brut IPA that I had last NBS. If you enjoy that sort of thing, you'll probably like this.

4.38/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25
Full review : https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/27110/395144/?ba=mikeinportc#review