New Beer Sunday (Week 769)

Now THAT is beer ****! Well done.

 

Sufferfest / Sierra Nevada - Repeat

Earlier this year, Sierra Nevada acquired Sufferfest - the terribly named brewing company that made beers for the "health conscious." You know, the kind of beers with the calories and carbs listed on the can that show up in photos with dirty people wearing running clothes. Despite the fact that Sierra Nevada isn't mentioned on this can, it was brewed and canned in Chico. Sierra Nevada has the beer listed on their own website and the Sufferfest website looks like it was designed to mimic Sierra's. I'm considering this a Sierra Nevada beer on a certain level. They brewed it. They released a mixed six pack of three Sufferfest beers (two of each) and I'll be digging in today.

This is the Kolsch, and it's the only one in the pack to hit the magic beer tier of under 100 calories. ABV is 3.5%. The special ingredient in this one is bee pollen. It's gluten-reduced. It's a pretty, gold beer. Nice head. Soft carbonation. It goes down really easy. Tastes like a pleasant Kolsch without any bitter hop character. It's a little tangy, which distinguishes it. It feels well-crafted and doesn't feel like a "healthy" compromise to me. It's watery, but not in a bad way. It's an intriguing and pleasant beer. I think I'll be picking up a six pack of it to form a more solid impression of it.

So far so good. I wish Sierra Nevada success with this brand if it means having a light Kolsch-style beer from them on the shelves... but I can't help to have negative thoughts about the viability of the brand.

@ecpho

 

I’m buried under with a fridge full of great hoppy beers. I had a few yesterday, I’ll have a few today.

First up is from Terry and it’s Bodhizafa ipa from Georgetown Brewing in Seattle. Wow, this is really good, Columbus, Chinook, Citra, Mosaic hops, two row Munich. If there would just be a simple everyday ipa that is always terrific this would be your beer. Nothing to over think here, it’s just a classic style ipa that anyone should be ab,e to knock back a few. Just a very well done beer that I’d call case worthy. Next up a beer from Mike that’s from Half Acre.

 

A 32oz growler of Funkwerks Barrel Aged Tropic King, purchased from Premium Draught in Houston yesterday. Funkwerks website says its a sour Saison aged in neutral oak barrels for 2 years.



Pours a hazed orange color. At first a two finger white head forms with good retention. Light lace is left behind. Aroma and taste have a vinegary character up front. White pepper, some esters and apricots. A light vanilla and wood flavor, but restrained in that department. Definitely a neutral barrel flavor being imparted. An acidic/tartness lingers.

This has a medium/full body with good carbonation. Though soapy and not as snappy/crisp as I like for the style. Certainly enjoyable to drink and an interesting take on the style. Though I prefer their other representations of a Saison over this, which I think is purely personal preference. Still, it will be a nice afternoon sipper and even if its not my favorite they have done, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.

Overall score: 3.74. Full review below:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/24075/442003/?ba=champ103#review

 

Sufferfest / Sierra Nevada - FKT

This next Sufferfest beer is the 5.5% ABV, gluten-reduced "pale ale" with salt and black currant. When poured, it looked like an unappealing pinkish copper color, but once settled and with light behind it, it turned into a gorgeous red beer. Carbonation is like the Kolsch - nice head and soft in the body. The body is more watery than expected for the ABV. Perhaps the removal of gluten impacts the body in a way that I have no real experience with. I don't care for the flavor clash of this beer. There's a gentle little pale ale with some bitterness that crashes against a subdued berry fruitiness and tartness. It seems like this beer came to a fork in the road and decided to take both paths. Not that it's bad... just not a repeat.

 

Glad you liked that one, Bob. I thought it would be up your alley, but also difficulty to figure out "plummet."

 

Good afternoon NBS
I sought this beer out, but now regret the decision...

The review:
12oz can stamped L9241T2002 (canned 9/29/19 presumably) poured into a tulip pint glass at fridge temp 5.3% ABV. The beer pours bright very dark brown with chocolate tan colored head. The head recedes to a thin cap and leaves a little lacing. The aroma is faint with malted milk, chocolate and roast malt. The taste is semisweet, tangy chocolate with a slight, watery roasted malt flavor coming through before a very lightly bitter finish. The mouthfeel is thin to medium bodied with average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Overall, ok-ish. I don't know what they were aiming for here. It's very different from other milk stouts, and I'll give them credit for not just adding coffee because that's what everyone else is doing. The slightly sour tang is fine in their other stouts, but presents a sour milk vibe to me. Real glad I didn't buy a six pack.

It's actually getting worse as it warms. I'll be back to my review to adjust scores down and add that note.

I just finished installing a new light fixture in the foyer. My wife special ordered it. I assumed it was LED with twenty lights, but they were 40w halogens. Just finished ordering $50 worth of G9 LED bulbs online. Only way to use the light, which I had to modify to fit the space, without burning the house down. Who sells an 800 watt light?

Cheers all! My next new beer is from Bell's, so hopefully it doesn't add to a disappointing day.

 

Thanks for the info! I’ve had both fresh and not fresh Pivo Pils and get what you’re saying about the Saphir presence in that one.

I wandered into the Loose Screw in Taylor, TX, and found a new beer:

Austin Beerworks Peacemaker, an American blonde ale, 5.0% ABV, 15 IBUs

I needed something light and simple to start with as Mom follows my lead, and this one is working nicely. Cracker malt flavor almost sweetening to bready with an earthy hop bite, stronger than the IBU rating would lead you to believe. There’s a hint of caramel in the background, maybe even a tinier hint of creamed corn but it’s not off putting. In fact, a little straight corn/grain flavor is in there and mixing well with the malt and hops.

No official review for now but I’d call it a decent 3.75 overall. I’d like it more at a lower ABV but I’m also not complaining (and neither is Mom ).

Cheers!

 

Phase Three Pressed Imperial Porter: Coffee/Vanilla. This series takes the same big coffee porter base and adds a different adjunct to it. This is the second release in the series, the first being coffee and maple. The brewer, Shaun Burns, is well known for his dark beers around Chicago, so let's see how this one stacks up.

Appearance: Pours more like an imperial stout than an imperial porter. Pitch black in the glass with a half-finger of dark mocha head that dissipated quickly. Pouring like motor oil, this isn't your typical porter. Carbonation levels are moderate. 4

Aroma: A big gourmet coffee presence hits you in the face up front, but followed closely by sweet vanilla frosting and milk chocolate. The chocolate shows through much more than expected given that there are no cacao nibs added to the beer. Roasted malt, maple, caramel, and bakers chocolate are in the background. An ever-so-slight presence of alcohol burns the nostrils. 4.5

Taste: Waves of coffee, chocolate, and sweet vanilla envelope the palate throughout. The coffee seems to be a good dark blend. Like the aroma indicated, the chocolate comes through as more of a milk chocolate. Reminiscent of Hershey's chocolate syrup, which is becoming somewhat of a signature flavor in Shaun's stouts and porters. The vanilla is sweet and is reminiscent of vanilla frosting or vanilla creamer. A significant maple presence makes itself known as well. Dancing in the background are notes of roasted malts, nougat, caramel, and bittersweet chocolate chips. The alcohol is detectable throughout the palate and provides dryness and warmth as it goes down. The finish brings bitter coffee and dark chocolate, with undercurrents of the aforementioned milk chocolate, vanilla frosting, and coffee. Oreo's with coffee is what comes to mind. 4.75

Mouthfeel: About as full of a body as a porter or stout can get. You can chew on this beer. Very creamy, luscious, and sticky. Just enough carbonation to move this heavy beer through the palate, bringing some softness and delicacy to this extremely robust beer. 4.5

Overall: I thought I would enjoy the coffee/maple version more than this one, but I thought wrong. Although that version is still great, this one slightly beats it out due to the surprisingly large amount of chocolate coming through from what I would assume is just the malts, which is quite impressive. The chocolate and other nuances from the base beer complement the coffee and sweet vanilla additions perfectly. The adjunct and base beer are in great balance. Shaun continues to make some of the best imperial porters I've had (albeit a small sample size). Outstanding stuff! 4.57

 

Ommegang double barrel dubbel
...cloudy cola color
..medium body with above average prickly carbonation
..aroma is malt,plums,raisins, deep rich bourbon
..taste stays true to the aroma,mildly sweet with an equally mild spice bite. Has a spiked fruit cake flavor,and I mean fruit cake in a positive way
..this makes for an excellent winter warmer type of beer,perfect for the holidays

 

I just noticed the time stamp on your post...Did that one "wake up" your palate this morning? HAHA

 

@SawDog505 Hey!!! It's paid for!

 

I see nothing. Man boobs or otherwise.

 

Beer #2 from Mike @ovaltine. Another great beer from Half Acre, and it’s KINA West Coast Ipa. I’d call this one silky smooth, it just slides down. It’s nicely bitter but it’s not too much of anything, definitely hoppy, a super easy drinker that I can’t find any info on. You could definitely drink this all day but there’s nothing on the can, not abv, not hops, must be a secret. This would be the Ipa for the guy who doesn’t like aggressively bitter ipas, but it’s not an oj bomb either. I’m drinking these Seattle and Chicago beers and I feel cheated they’re that good. My local stuff imo is not of this quality.

 

I liked that beer too.

 

Happy NBS, everybody! Today I'm starting with another seasonal that came to me thanks to @WesMantooth

Columbus Brewing Festbier (although it should be noted that this beer is of the amber substyle).

Unfortunately this one isn't up to the same level as the better Oktoberfest beers that I've been enjoying this year. It's a nice clean beer, with the right feel and complement of flavors, but they did miss out on an important detail that would have brought the beer into the upper tiers. That toasty Munich Malt quality is coming off as way too sharp and angular, and not as rounded as it should be. As a result, it's coming off as a separate element and the overall impression doesn't have that well-knit balance that can make this style so enjoyable. Ultimately it's a 'close but no cigar' B+ (3.85).

 

Nice picture of you and Rocket.

 

NBS round 2. When's the last time you had a Stout? Nah, I mean just a plain old, bad ass, no fluff, no barrel, no spices, no nonsense, Stout? Been a while for me too, but thanks again to @joe1510 for reminding me to drink some damn classic, well made, regular old beers from time to time. Not that this is anything "regular".

Half Acre
Original Reaper- Stout





Off to a good start. This guy is dark as sin and shows no color without manipulation to get a glance of deep chestnut highlights. The espresso foam is impressive, clingy, and refuses to back down.

Everything you expect a proper stout to smell like lives within. Burnt white bread, toasted nuts, and a mineral water profile. An herbaceous and slightly medicinal hop finish promises for a full flavored experience.

And the flavor delivers. First obvious impression is how nutty this is. Roasted peanuts and walnuts covered in dark chocolate. Charred bread crusts give off a light smoked impression. A classic metallic tone throughout, and a dark berry splash before a spicy and herbal finish.

The feel is spot on. Roasty, and bitter, medium bodied without being creamy, and perfectly carbonated. Easy enough to take big sips, big enough to take it easy with.

This is a great American Stout. Proof once again that with four basic ingredients, amazing things are possible. It was entertaining to read some of its reviews as they proved my opening point perfectly. One person says, "Overall I can't believe I'm saying this about HA, but this is one of the most boring stouts I've ever had in my life.". Boring. Exactly. Unless you have the ablity to appreciate quality craftsmanship without outside influences.

After my official review, I gave Original Reaper a rating of 4.27 with an rDev of +10.3%. Cheers and thanks again Joe!