New Beer Sunday (Week 763)

Good day all yinz New BSers! Thanks @cjgiant for starting today's thread. Last Sunday I attended an Octoberfest-ish celebration at 5 Stones in the 'burbs of New Braunfels, TX. Since it's only about 4 miles from my brother's place, we hit it three or four times over the course of my visitation. They're normally not open Sunday but this was a special day, complete with country western/cowboy polka band. The dude in the front is playing the saw.



5 Stones makes some excellent (IMHO) beer and, like every other brewer, some that aren't so great, as my next NBS BIF target will be able to attest.

After that introduction, today's New Breakfast Beer is NOT from 5 Stones; it's from No Coast. No pic because I left my camera in the car last night and I don't feel like getting dressed to go get it. Xin loi!

No Coast Agricultured Rye Porter:

$ 4.10 (Including tax)/16 oz can ($0.256/oz) from Total Wine, Selma, TX. Reviewed 10/6/19.
Undated can. On shelf at store, stored and served at reefer temperature.
Appearance – 4.25.
First pour – Dark brown, clear.
Body – Dark brown/black, opaque.
Head – Large (Maximum nine cm, aggressive center pour), tan, medium density, long duration, slooowly diminishing to an eight to twenty mm jagged crown and a complete cap. Much lacing remains as the head recedes. Second pour produces only a two cm head but otherwise similar.
Lacing – Excellent! Wide band of tiny to small bubbles forming the silhouette of a rugged mountain range. See also above.
Aroma – 4 – Chocolate malt.
Flavor – 3.25 - A bit spicier than the average porter but the predominant taste is slightly bitter toasted chocolate malt. No alcohol (6% ABV) flavor or aroma, no diacetyl, no dimethylsulfide.
Palate – 3 – Medium, watery, lively carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 3 – (Minus 0.25 point for undated personal container.) Despite the attractive appearance and the above average nose, the flavor just isn’t great. The rye is buried in the chocolate, to the detriment of the flavor profile.
Rating 3.42, rDev +11%.

 

I started reviewing the 2019 GABF winners from last night at:

https://www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com/the-competition/winners/

Then, not surprisingly, it occured to me for this festive occassion I should have a GABF winning beer while continuing to peruse the website. Fortunately, my son-in-law brought me this beer while vacationing with his family in Wyoming in August. With cooler weather upon us, it seems just the thing; and at 6%, won't keep me from a long hike in the woods in a bit.

Snake River Brewing - Zonker Stout



Had this near Pittsburgh, PA from a 12oz canned on 2019-07-31. My overall score = 4.31

A - Opaque dark brown with a 2-finger light brown head and great lace

S - Chocolate espresso latte. Medium roasted grain. Sweet and inviting

T - Dark chocolate, roasted grain with some char, earthy spice, lactose. Balancing, roasted bitterness.

M - Medium body and light carbonation. Creamy at first but finishes dry with some acerbic/acid bite.

O - Tons of flavor packed into this 6% brew. Quite impressive and an exemplary example of an Export Stout. I can see why it won quite a few medals at GABF over the years.

 

Have you ever conducted a truly blind three way?

I mean a beer three way.

Today’s taste testing is going to be the most complicated I conducted for a NBS post. Please bear with me as I go through the phases and details.

First, permit me to provide some details of the three beers I will be evaluating today: the Oktoberfest beers of Workhorse, Sly Fox and Stoudts. I will begin the discussion from oldest brewery to newest:

Stoudts Oktoberfest

Stoudts is the oldest craft brewery in the Philly area since they opened in 1987 – they are over 30 years old. Below is how they describe their beer on their website:

“This medium-bodied amber colored beer elegantly combines a touch of malty sweetness with a subtle aromatic hop character.”

On the bottle there is really not much in the way of details, simply: Oktoberfest Beer.

Sly Fox Oktoberfest

Sly Fox is the next oldest brewery with an opening date of 1995 – over 20 years old. Below is how this beer is described:

“Oktoberfest

German-Style Lager

13.8 OG 25 IBUs 6.1% ABV

This traditional Oktoberfest beer celebrates the arrival of Fall. It is a medium-bodied, smooth and malty brew made with German Vienna malts and German hops.

AWARDS:

Bronze Medal GABF 2013”

Workhorse Märzen

Workhorse is the new kid on the block since it was opened just last year – Sept. 2018. Even though this is a new brewery the head brewer, Nate Olewine, has been brewing quality beer for quite some time. In the past he worked as a brewer for Victory Brewing and more recently for Devil’s Backbone.

Below is how this beer is detailed by the brewery:

“This amber lager traditionally brewed during March and served during Oktoberfest features some of the best that Germany has to offer. We utilize a hefty percentage of Munich malt to provide plenty of richly aromatic biscuit and toasted bread flavors, all complemented by a touch of spicy noble hops. A cold fermentation and extended lagering phase present a clean palate for these ingredients to shine. Prost!”

On the front of the can it lists: “Aromatic – Toasted – Malty”.

Phase 1: A blindfolded first taste test

I will actually be wearing a blindfold for what I will term the preliminary tasting so I will not be impacted by seeing the beers. My wife will pour portions into three small-ish Duvel glasses which will be marked A, B and C.



One of my concerns of this preliminary taste test is that small sample tasting can suffer from the Pepsi Challenge problem which I discussed in a past thread:

“This kinda reminds me of the old Pepsi challenge that was heavily advertised back in the day. They would serve people two small pours blind of cola (one Pepsi and the other Coke) and the people would express a preference for Pepsi since it was sweeter in comparison to Coke. But when it comes to drinking an entire 12 ounce can/bottle (or multiples) it turns out that Coke is the preferred product. Consideration of serving size and typical consumption styles (e.g., more than one beer) is very much a factor here. Maybe the beer that is preferred in small format comparisons is not the preferred beer under 'regular' drinking situations.”

So, it is my intention to just document some high level impressions of the three beers. My wife will have to function as my scribe here.

A: A medium bready aroma with a hint of hop aroma, medium bready flavor, dry finish, very well balanced flavor profile, I guessed it was Sly Fox.

B: A subtle bready aroma, light bready flavor, dry finish, I guessed Stoudts.

C: A notable malty aroma, deep bready malt flavors, off-dry finish. By process of elimination I guessed Workhorse.

And the BIG Reveal: A = Sly Fox B = Stoudts and C = Workhorse. I have a good friend that likes to say “luck beats skill’ but I don’t think I was just lucky here.

Phase 2: A side-by-side-by-side

Appearance:

Stoudts Oktoberfest: Amber colored with an off-white head

Sly Fox Oktoberfest: Light golden amber with an off-white head.

Workhorse Märzen: Amber colored with an off-white head.

Aroma:

Stoudts Oktoberfest: A mild breadiness.

Sly Fox Oktoberfest: A combination of bready malt, very subtle sweetness along with just a tiny bit of fruit and spice.

Workhorse Märzen: A big & bold dark bread aroma.

Taste:

Stoudts Oktoberfest: The flavor follows the nose with a subtle bready flavor with a low/moderate bitterness.

Sly Fox Oktoberfest: Bready malt character dominates. The hops do not stand out explicitly but there is balance there. The finish is bready with just a hint of sweetness. A low/moderate bitterness.

Workhorse Märzen: The flavor follows the nose with a robust dark bread flavor. A low/moderate bitterness.

Mouthfeel

Stoudts Oktoberfest: Light/medium body with a dry finish.

Sly Fox Oktoberfest: A medium body and a dry finish

Workhorse Märzen: A medium body with an off-dry finish.

Overall

Stoudts Oktoberfest: I enjoyed drinking this beer. It had an aspect of ‘drinkability’ to it.

Sly Fox Oktoberfest: I really liked this beer! It epitomizes the quality of good balance between malt & hops.

Workhorse Märzen: I also enjoyed drinking this beer. This beer was the most robust of the three.

So, is there a winner here? At one level this is a very easy question to answer: the winner is me because I drank three very high quality Oktoberfest beers!

Cheers!

@rotsaruch @KOP_Beer_OUtlet @RobH @invertalon @WesMantooth @NeroFiddled @Ranbot @FBarber @Jacobier10 @scottakelly @tzieser @ESHBG

 

New Beer Sunday: American Light Lager

Mornin’ NBSers and a special thanks to @cjgiant for his start off of today’s thread. This is a day and place we all get some friendly time together to just talk about new beers. It’s nice that we can pop in and out of this virtual bar and see the new beers folks are describing that might we want to find and try. Can’t begin to tell you how helpful so many of you have been with your thoughts about the new beers you’ve been trying over the years I’ve been a regular here.

Today’s weather is expected to be mostly cloudy with a high near 70 (maybe a bit above, maybe a bit below...). Looks to be a good day for a bit of preparation of the yard for fall and bringing things like rakes and leaf blower out of storage in anticipation….

As for seasonal effects on my beer drinking, there are some as related to availability but otherwise, freshness matters more to me than the calendar. I like the “seasonal ebb and flow" of styles that seems ongoing from year to year, but try to follow my dad’s advice, “Son, if you’re going to be a drinker, be a practical drinker. Drink practically anything.”

This morning’s new beer is called Pony Boi Golden Light Lager and is a new one, both for me and for the brewery, from 2SP brewing right here in SE PA. Clearly, this beer is intended to be a refresher and a thirst quencher and so fit nicely into a day of yard work.

My review, in progress for a while, can be found here:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/40976/437974/?ba=drtth#review


The aromas/flavors are light but are there and include some bready malt and some grassy, floral and herbal hops. The lightly flavored light-bodied beer is clean, crisp and refreshing. While normally not a big fan of Light Lagers I’m finding this one nicely drinkable and one I’ll enjoy having multiple portions of during a summer/fall evening of just sitting around drinking with friends, guests, etc. For sure it’s something I’ll be interested in having on hand as “lawnmower” beer or a “crushable” break from yard work. I’d say the brewer has hit his intended target nicely.

Cheers, all!

 

A very enjoyable review. Thanks!

 

I will soon be in New Braunfels visiting family and friends. We will also be attending Wurstfest while there - a Texas version of Oktoberfest (Nov. 1-10).

https://wurstfest.com/

Have you ever attended the Wurstfest celebration? This will be my 10th year of attending.

Prost!

 

Love Oktoberfest and am considering a trip to Munich next year. Work took me to Rochester Ny and was looking for the best available

All green everything by other half

4.38/5 rDev -1.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

On tap at other half Rochester poured into glass

Hazy amber , thin white ring quickly fades

Aroma is floral , mango , honey , whiff of peach

Taste is mango, peach with hint white grape and dank on the finish

Dry finish, low sudsing

Good beer

 

Craig, this afternoon my wife and I will be attending the Oktoberfest celebration at the Reading Liederkranz (Reading, PA). We always have a great time there. Lots of German beer, lots of German food, lots of German music! Zum Wohl!

“Reading Liederkranz Oktoberfest rated among Top Ten in the WORLD!”

https://www.readingliederkranz.com/oktoberfest

Prost!

 

Jack,

Nice to hear that the new kid (Workhorse) shows so well in comparison to your old favorites. We are indeed fortunate to live in an area where lagers are appreciated and we get to see new ones enter the market since the "new kids" on the block can expect to do them and sell them.

 

Tom, I was fortunate to receive some free tickets to the King of Prussia Beerfest Royale.

https://kopbeerfest.com/

There were a lot of high quality lagers being poured at last evening's event.

I had my first beer from a new local brewery of Brothers Kershner Brewing and it was labeled simply as German Lager. It had a modest ABV (4% from memory) and it was quite flavorful. I really enjoyed drinking this beer.

There were a number of Pilsners available from a plethora of breweries - I think I drank samples from about 8-10 different breweries. The 'winner' for me last evening was Sterling Pig Shoat Pilsner.

And yes there were several Oktoberfest beers pouring as well.

Life is good!!

Cheers!

P.S. My wife and I just got back from two weeks in the Czech Republic and about mid-way through the festival my wife exclaimed "The best Pilsners in the world are in America". Just one person's opinion.

 

Jack,

Thanks for the update on that event. (Looks like a great list of breweries were pouring.) I do have to feel a bit for those folks who keep insisting that all that is being released these days are juicy NEIPAs, etc.

Pleased to hear the Shoat stood out for you. It's fairly quickly hit the top 3-5 of my list Pils beers as well and is easily found fresh around here so there's some in the fridge most of the time. (Unless the space is taken by the Yards Philadelphia Pale Ale. )

 

Sons of Ben from yards
..clear gold amber color
...medium body with the same in regards to carbonation
...aroma is strong and very pleasing. Malt,grain,cracker, bitter hops, mild citrus floral notes
..taste is equally nice,very mild sweetness with a perfect hop bitterness to match. Grain,cracker,floral and citrus
..I was taken aback by how much I enjoyed this. Granted it's a style that suits my taste but none the less it's really well made,great aroma and taste and very easy to get downpicture upload

 

Good morning NBS, thanks to @cjgiant for the start today. The leaves in the area are turning, in Northern VT this week they were spectacular. Todays offering is from that part of the world.
This variant of my favorite American Brown Ale is special to say the least. I like a good coffee, and find the use in beer can be heavy handed. This offering is an exercise in deftness and nuance.
Cheers all

George - Coffee Collective Kieni

Hill Farmstead Brewery
American Brown Ale | 5.5% ABV

4.24/5 rDev 0% | Average: 4.24
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a growler filled 4 days ago, into the test glass.
A - Beautiful dark mahogany color, gentle carbonation yields a loose knit off white froth. Cirrus style lacing clings to the glass wall throughout the experience.
S - Roast malts, cocoa , blackberry. Coffee notes are nuanced, like holding a palm full of lightly roasted beans, Plum meets cracked green pepper, with a touch again of cocoa. Earthy hop notes complete a really nice aromatic.
T - Dark toast, a touch of tobacco, gently roasted coffee, a bit of orange peel, and a hint of smoke
M - Medium in body, just enough carbonation, dry feel throughout, finish is roasty and delightful. Lingering elements include delicate coffee, earthy grains
O - A wonderful variant on a favorite brown ale. As is usually the case with HFB, the offering takes time to measure, experience. The use of Kenya source beans, adds cocoa and blackberry in the best ways. The texture light and dry without impeding on the lovely base. A side by side with different coffee's would make for a great tasting exercise

 

Thanks to @cjgiant for the great start to this weeks NBS. Will be back later on with a new beer.

Cheers!

 

Maine beer company Mo pale ale
..clear gold amber color
..medium bodied with around average carbonation
...aroma is malt,citrus peel,orange,bitter hops
...taste is a little dry, hop bitterness shows up in the finish and lingers. Citrus and orange show up in the middle in a very nice way
...overall this was a very nice beer that I would try again

 

I've only had it a few times, but that's a really great beer! And I love the new cans.

Fwiw, I recently saw on Twitter that Pike is now canning their XXXXX Stout- very much in the same style as Zonker. The two beers are actually holdovers from when that was the default type of American micro-stout. I'm hoping to see an increase in availability for that one, and it might be worth keeping an eye out for if you enjoy the Zonker.

 

A rarity for me I have a new beer, but it’s not time to drink it yet, I just can’t drink before noon. Edmunds Oast coming up.