New Beer Sunday (Week 765)

New beer number 2, Drafting Table Cherry Tarty Slip, thanks @strohme2!

4.03/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Thank you strohme2 for this
16 oz can poured into a teku

A- A fairly clear pinkish red with a two finger white head.

S- Tart, cherries, wheat, lacto, slightly earthy.

T- Tart, lemons, cherries, wheat, a little earthy, lacto.

M- Smooth, little body, crisp.

O- A nice not too fruity Berliner, easy to drink.

Cheers!

 

So, what do you think of the defensive shift?

There aren't many of us left who like a 4-5 hour baseball game with all of the managerial strategic moves. I've made peace with the DH (admittedly made easier by living in an American League city). The DH has a few of advantages (1 and 2 I like; 3 is life in the 21st century):

1. Continued employment for aging sluggers. This is a good thing.
2. Shorter games (IDK if the stats bear this out, but NL games "seem to" have more pitcher changes, which logic says means longer games... then you have the counter example of just about any game between the Yankees and the Red Sox... jeez, pitch the ball already!)
3. More offense (attractive to less tradition-bound fans).

The only disadvantage (IMO) is it removes some of the strategy from the game, which modern fans don't give a hoot about anyway.

 

Congratulations to the Houston Astros, who will hopefully extend the American League's string of recent wins (four of past six) in the World Series.

Les Expos were my favorite National League team growing up (White Sox of course the overall favorite), and still am as bitter as a Pliny at what Bud Selig and his cohorts did to my team from 1994 to the time the team was stripped and removed from North American's gem city.

To honor Le Grand Orange, Rusty Staub, and all the great Expos teams of yesteryear who didn't reach fall's greatest stage, I select On The Vine, released this week by Phase Three.



Soapy white head left spotty lacing. Pleasant grape and citrus aroma led, pineapple and tangerine provided a complex fruity back. Creamy rich body, taste matched aroma, sweetness balanced by lightly bitter hops. Pine, grassy dry finish, slight alcohol burn, creamy body, nominal carbonation. Phase Three still relatively new, their brewer on the scene for years here and still on point with his offerings.

4.5 (Appearance) / 4.0 (Aroma) / 4.5 (Taste & Mouthfeel and Overal). Definitely glad I picked this up (one can to go with the two can purchase limit).

 

Finback Overgrown... Mosaic-hopped blonde with coconut/passion fruit/Mandarin orange... yow, that's a lot of stuff there, guys. We'll see how it all works together.

Alright, the pour essentially looks like an IPA, but I assume this is mostly focused on a soft malt bill and is likely dedicated more to the adjunct ingredients than to the hoppiness within. Big, fluffy head measuring almost four fingers upon my first pour. Great lace and awesome legs. Good start to this one, for sure.

Well, this smells like coconut, so at least that element is present I absolutely adore Finback's collaboration coconut IPA they do every year with J. Wakefield (Smooth Beats Miami), so this is right up my alley, but it might not be for everyone due to just how coconut-y it is. That said, I can definitely pick up some of the fruitier elements, along with some dankness and light earthy undertones from the Mosaic hopping. I actually think this is probably pretty-aggressively hopped, to be honest. It has quite a bit of forcefully-driven Mosaic complexity going on. The Mandarin orange seems super juicy and makes me want to take a big gulp... which I think I'll do right about now...

Well, shit. Yeah, this is good! The passion fruit comes out more on the tongue, where it's not crowded out by other elements. I've always felt passion fruit is a more "delicate" fruit... it's tropical but not aggressive like, for instance, guava or mango can be. It blends well with the whole here, and the Mosaic bitterness definitely makes its presence known as well. This is definitely a touch hoppier than expected from the "blonde ale" categorization, but I still understand why they didn't want to call it an IPA. It's not really as chewy or yeasty as some of their NEIPA-style beers, and the carbonation is a tad more aggressive to boot. Coconut is also quite noticeable on the tongue, but the crackery malt somewhat reins it in. Damn, this hits the spot. Really enjoy it, but I also probably would not want to drink it constantly. Reminds me a little bit of another not-well-known Finback beer from earlier this year called Fancy People, which was a guava/pineapple/coconut blonde with Mosaic; cut very much from a similar cloth to this beer. Fun stuff here. A good drink with masterful handling of its unique flavor additions.

 

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Sippers and commentators. And congratulations, Craig, on the Nats' World Series appearance! I was hoping that the Yankees would be the team of destiny this year after an amazing run despite a record-setting number of injuries. However, it wasn't to be as the Astros have much better pitching. Domingo German might have made a difference but it's all academic now. While I'm an AL fan I'm pulling for the Nationals.

On to beer. It feels like stout weather in North Jersey today: rainy and raw. Magnify is mostly known for its big, hazy IPAs but some of its stouts are very good and I always try them. Copper Kettle was released this week. It's a 12% BA stout brewed with caramel, toffee, and coconut. It's as sweet as any stout you'll find and the caramel and toffee really shine. The barrel is subtle but you can feel it as you sip. The mouth feel is dense and chewy. It's made for dessert sipping. In fact, you could pour it over vanilla ice cream, which I just might do with the other bottle I bought. Here's my full review:

4.25/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Reviewed 5 days after bottle release. Poured into a Magnify tulip glass at nearly room temperature. It pours a dark mahogany with a thin, mocha-colored head that disappeared almost immediately leaving very little lacing. It has a very fragrant smell featuring milk chocolate, caramel, toffee, coconut, and faint but noticeable bourbon. While quite sweet the taste is truly decadent. I immediately taste fresh caramel and toffee, along with cocoa. The coconut is faint at first but becomes more noticeable as I sip. The bourbon is subtle but warming. While the flavors are bold and delightful, the sweetness is almost overwhelming. It's like sipping on a candy bar. The best attribute is its mouth feel: super rich, creamy, and chewy. It doesn't drink like 12%. Overall, Copper Kettle is the epitome of a dessert sipper. In fact, it would nicely accompany a dish of vanilla ice cream.

I hope you're all enjoying your new beers today. As always, the reviews are informative and entertaining. Cheers, NBS!

 

Nice intro Dick! Makes me almost want to root for the underdog...

I’ve had several of the Prairie stouts, and I like them a lot notwithstanding high price points, when we even get them here in SWFL...and today’s new beer has been hiding for awhile until recently uncovered as part of our upcoming move - “Prairie Noir”. The bottle date stamp is 31817, so roughly November 14, 2017:





Pours jet black with ruby edges at 55 degrees; fast fizzy dark tan head leaves a thin ring and some spotty lace initially; thin legs. Nose is Whiskey!; caramel; some booze on exhale. Whiskey, chocolate fudge, cocoa nibs, caramel, vanilla, oak, toasted marshmallows; roast malt bitterness; dark fruit, plums middle; more sweet candy, brown sugar and molasses as it warms; whiskey chocolate finish. Medium plus body; silky slick feel; dry tongue coating; warmth from 11%. Overall an easy drinking sipper; a tad thin for all the oats employed, but enjoyable; complex layers of candy, fruit and barrel notes; and more sugary fruit and roasty flavors emerge as developed over time as the liquid warmed; after almost 2 years in the bottle, I did not detect any coffee; I would definitely drink again, but for the money I’d pay for BOMB! and variants first.

4.0 | 4.25 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.25

 

I don't mind the shift, it's a legitimate defensive tool. Hitters should learn to bunt to the left.

In most every sport (except football) players have to play both ways. If you're gonna have the DH, why not full split squads?

I like defense, and find homers boring (the equivalent of dunks in hoops).

I think the move away from LOOGYs will help speed up the game. I'm not a fan of the proposed "3 batter rule".

 

NBSX2.

Wayfinder
Funeral Bock- Black Bock





Beautiful darkest brown body bordering black, with mahogany highlights. A cream colored cap that is tight knit and smooth, leaves a good ring around the glass and little spots of lace.

Toasted, mineral water, and an earthy, mushroom like aroma. A little dark bready sweetness underneath.

Almost umami like minus the sour, with toasted, salty, sweet, roasted, nutty, and charred flavors. Brown bread, leather, and nougat. The saltiness is obviously perceived, but salted caramel comes to mind.

Rich, silky, full bodied feel that is lightened just a touch by the moderate carbonation. Balanced with a bready and fruity sweetness followed by a roasty bitterness.

Simply put, this beer is delicious. Clearly in the veins of your more robust dopplebock such as Celebrator rather than just a "dark Bock", this thing has it all.

After my official review, I gave Funeral Bock a rating of 4.43. Prost!

 

Poured into a 13 oz Funk Brewing Teku. Pours a slightly foggy dark orange with a 3 finger sticky slightly off white head that leaves thick gobs of lace all over the place. 4.5

Smell is tangerine, pine, papaya, blueberry, and grapefruit rind. 4.5

Taste follows tangerine, pine, blueberry, papaya, and some bitter grapefruit but actually balanced nicely. 4.5

Mouthfeel is bigger than most, plenty of life, a tad dry and slightly sticky, and at 10.7% extremely approachable. 4.5

Overall this is a very nice TIPA East and West Coast influence, in your face the entire time and that is not a complaint. 4.5

 

More beer as always.



Poured from the can into a Libbey style pilsner glass. Vintage 2019.

What an interesting looking Marzen. Beaming crystal clear, and a practically near perfect orange color. Nearly orange but gives to brass light yellow highlights and a gleaming shine. Head creation is two fingers off white, almost khaki, and settles to a bubbled collar with minimal puck.

Very nice light toasty grains, hints faint clove but with a presence of soft toffee like malt action. Minimal herbal hop presence. Fairly straightforward aroma and solid.

Palate keeps things straightforward. A most slightly noticeable light to wet mouthfeel dumbs down some of the base flavors. Slight malty touch of caramel, but opens into more wet peanut flavors interestingly as time goes on. Hits with a bit of steely grain and some interesting bready toasty flavors, more on a nuttier side of a brown like ale quality. There is a real peanut character to this beer strangely, but in a good way, but there is some powdery quality to the grain and beer's taste.

Interesting take on a marzen, almost into real solid quality

look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4 | BA Generated Score: 3.99

Cheers!

 

#3, 2nd beer from COAST Brewing, North Charleston, South Carolina

COAST Brewing Dead Arm Pale Ale
IBU: NA
ABV: 6.0%



Golden-yellow, slightly hazy color topped by a 1/2 inch white head, receding fairly quickly, leaving rows and strings of lacing.

Moderate and mild citrus and tropical fruit aroma.

Substatial body, smooth, especially for the style, soft.

Fresh, crisp citrus hops flavor, with tropical fruits - pineapple and other tropical flavors - in the mix. Solid malts provide a very good balance, contributing caramel and bread. Mildly bitter in the middle and finish. Very tasty, and complex enough to be interesting. The mild bitterness, along with the tropical flavors, linger into the aftertaste.

Overall, an very tasty, enjoyable APA. Well done.

Editorial comment: While COAST's heart may be in the right place with the organic malts, the effort seems to me to be more marketing that health-driven. After all, the hops are NOT organic, and the alcohol is toxic. So, what is the point, if not just marketing?


L: 3.75 | S: 3.75 | T: 4.25 | F: 4.0 | O: 4.0 | BA rating of: 4.03

 

Tupps Juice Pack Double Dry-hopped Pale Ale, missed the mark for me. 3.28 overall

Pours a hazed gold with one finger of beige colored head. Not so great head retention & lacing

S: Faint wet dog smell, very odd, a little maltyness once warm

T: Tart oranges, dryness up front. Dryness & pomelo as this warms, a little nectarine & grassyness as well. Finishes dry, with grassyness & faint lime notes

MF: Medium body, moderate carbonation. okay balance

Drinks fairly easy, but pretty one dimensional. This is rared close to 4.1, I am not drinking that beer

 

Port Brewing Nelson & Nelson. A Nelson-hopped DIPA from the brewery that brought us Nelson the Greeter. Can I stop saying Nelson now? NEVER!



Pours a nice looking clear golden color. I know I shouldn't expect hazy stuff from Port (kinda one of the lower-key originators of the "West Coast IPA" trend), but it was still odd for me to see a clearer/filtered IPA with Nelson in it. What is the world coming to? Big, chunky and somewhat fluffy head that settles down to a finger or two. Decent drippy lace and good legs. Very hazy and dense surface. Very nice appearance.

The nose is almost reminiscent of a spicy, rye-focused pale ale, weirdly enough. Sure, there are the intense white wine characteristics of Nelson in there but they're kinda overshadowed by just how dense the malt bill is here. Some notes of guava, mango, ripe red berries, and grassiness kind of make this feel a bit like a Mosaic DIPA but without the overbearing sweetness and forced complexity that combo usually brings with it. I'm actually really down with this beer so far, though it's different than its younger sibling, Nelson the Greeter.

On the tongue, this is really good. Bold and intense with lots of spice notes and some aggressive hoppiness toward the finish. Not a lot of the traditional Nelson element I expected, but it's something different and unique here, that's for sure. A bit of lychee and pink peppercorn character coming out over time. Interesting and feels more like a spicy rye DIPA than a Nelson one, but I'm not gonna complain. Feel is slick and mostly oily. Perfume-y and pretty nice overall. Probably wouldn't reach for it again but it's enjoyable.



This is hands down the best pop song I've heard in ages. Love it.

 

Not really a baseball guy, but I did enjoy the Monster Energy Cup last night. Ciancirillo beat my fav Tomac. Congrats to Adam in his rookie primier!
I know, 95% of you have no clue what I'm talking about. Such is my esoteric sports life.
I tried this beer yestersday, but again today because, a) I own a 6 pack and b) not really sure about it, did not review it yesterday because, well wierd aroma.

3.52/5 rDev -12.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12oz can dated 9/23/19 to a Nonic creating a beautiful sight. Orange/apricot body below a one finger sparkling white head. Unfortunately the nose is off for me, even on my 2nd can on a 2nd day-- what may be orange rind really gives me the impression of rubber.
Taste is better, kind of like toasted orange peel with a hint of mustiness. Maybe orange peel in compost pile. Not bad, but that's my description. Grows on you near the end of the session.
Mouthfeel is on point for the style. Overall I just can't get exited about this one. I see by other reviews that I'm the odd man out, but this is my opinion. I guess everyone's olfactory is personal.

As I mentioned yesterday on WBAYDN this is made with Strata hops which I am not familiar with. To add to my review, a 2-3 minute pause between sips leaves you believing you just ate an orange 2-3 minutes ago.

Cheers.

 

I got a Tomac for ya: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Tomac

 

Nice try, but that's his dad. Try this-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eli_Tomac

 

Last week I mentioned going to the Shelton Brothers Festival the week prior. I was very happy to meet Yvan de Baets there and thank him for his beer. I really like his beer. He gave me a tiny pour of the following beer - Narrenvat. It was one of my favorites of the fest. Fortunately, I also had an unopened 750 of it squirreled away at home and I’m opening it today. So, although I had 2 ounces of this one earlier this month, I’m considering the opening of this bottle as my first full on experience with it. I asked the brewer when the beer he was pouring dated from. I think it was the same as my current bottle - bottled on Feb 2018, but brewed back in 2017.



Brasserie de la Senne w/ Cambridge Brewing Company - Narrenvat

This is a “barrel-aged brown ale with brett.” In my mind, I see it is a companion beer to their Bruxellensis, which was their pale beer with brett in a 750. That beer was absolutely fantastic. Here are some comments from the brewer:

BeerAdvocate has it listed as an “English brown ale.” Thankfully, the two people who provided reviews here weren’t the type to rate things according to the style it’s classified as.

This beer is an absolute delight. I bet the beer in my glass today is different from those two reviews from a year ago. It’s a murky coppery brown with pink highlights. It looks darker in the pic than it really is. Beautiful, lingering, soft head. Smells of underripe plums and acidity. The body is incredible. It’s super light... like a ghost or an extreme meringue. Unbelieveable.

The taste is extremely delicate. There’s a very light acidity. Subtle flavors or berries, underripe pineapple, and bread crust. It’s very dry and there’s some bitterness for balance.

Flemish Red or English Brown? Eh, this one is far more subtle than beers in those categories. For me, this beer is ridiculously good. Thick bodied beers tend to be valued here. Motor oil and all that. I’m on the opposite end of the spectrum, so be aware of my bias. Give me a beer that’s this satisfying but feels like air and I’m in heaven. It’s been a long time since I wanted to drink every drop in a 750 and still wished for more.

 

Greetings, fellow NBSers and thanks to @cjgiant for getting us going.

Having all kinds of phone issues so I'm not sure I'll be posting a new beer today. I'll try to hit one but not sure if the post will be successful.

 

I prefer no DH, but I understand arguments that support the DH.

What I don't understand - AT ALL - is the two leagues operating with different rules (one employs the DH, the other does not). That's about as logical as deciding home-field advantage for a sport's showcase event based on the results of a STUPID FLOCKING EXHIBITION GAME!!!!!

I mean, people that would do something like would think it's a good idea to, I don't know, even go so far as to cancel the sport's showcase event because it didn't understand how to negotiate.

And NO ONE is THAT stupid, right?

RIGHT???!!!???

Obviously, I still have some issues with the 1994 shutdown.

And baseball's ..... irrationality in general.

Time for a beer.