New Beer Sunday (Week 772)

I would think anywhere else will be better for meeting someone. Totally new dating pool! If I didn’t love Philly I would do the same, but yeah, I love this city and don’t plan on ever leaving.

 

A cold day in NJ, calls for am Imperial Stout but This NBS Is an Imperial IPA instead. No Brakes an 8.3 ABV DIPA. from Twin Elephant Brewing. It’s a fine one too. Pours a very hazy gold with a thick long lasting white head that leaves a lot of lacing. This beer is brewed with pale malts and wheat. Pale, Pilsner, Crystal and Dextrine are used. The hops used are Galaxy, Motueka and Simcoe. The aroma is mild biscuit and fruit. The taste is also biscuit and fruit. For a DIPA this brew is well balanced. The mouthfeel is full and the finish is dry and lingering. A well made and enjoyable beer. I bought a 32 OZ growler to help me suffer through the Jets game today!

 

Nice descriptions, as always! Seems to be a divisive variant. I thoroughly enjoyed it. And much more than last year’s Bramble Rye. Cheers!

 

A-Pours a solid black color with a nice light tan head and lacing
A-Aroma has cocoa and coffee hints
T-the taste follows the nose with cocoa and coffee flavors
T-A medium bodied decently carbonated beer
O-A good stout

 

I've been waiting to pull this one out of the fridge for the right moment. Well, it turned out that right moment simply consisted of, "I was in the mood for it, and nothing else superceded it." Seems like reason enough to me.

Loowit Brewing - Mint Condition



Upon pouring from the can, my first impression is actually olfactory. And it wasn't the mint (we'll get to that). Initially it smelled roasty and of grains, kind of reminded me of more what I think of as porter aroma (porter the beer... not Porter my dog. Porter the beer aroma I enjoy. Porter the dog aroma... well I'm really glad it was not Porter the dog aroma.). This was quickly overtaken by the aforementioned mint which was immediately bright oily green peppermint teetering towards spearmint, but staying on the pepper- side.

Anyway, the pour was a ruby-tinted dark brown that might be mistaken for black in the dark, but not if there's any kind of light. A nice medium-dark head slowly settles in leaving a nice little ring and some residual climbing of the glass.

Beyond the initial burst described above, digging into the aromas from the glass not the can, I just keep circling back around to thin mint girl scout cookies. The scent memory was so strong I could practically feel the crumbs in my beard. There was a fleeting thought of andes mints as well, but no, this is straight liquid girl scout cookies. I love thin mints.

Flavour doesn't hold together quite as effectively as the aroma, but it's still pleasant. It starts to straddle the line between the thin mints and the andes a little more (owing I wager to the lactose addition), but with the carbonation it starts to veer almost towards like minty soda overtones to an otherwise roasty stout that belies a nice bitter underthing. Think about the image on the can along with the descriptor 'underthings'. You're welcome. It's still quite enjoyable, but the aroma is the peak of this one for me.
The finish the oily mint starts to build up a little much, kind of like when spiced (especially pumpkin or cinnamon spiced) beers kind of accumulate and it never fades off and just keeps building on itself. This oiliness with the bitter stouty finish doesn't mesh quite as well as the preceding pairings.
All in all, I like this one, and am glad to have given it a try. I also really like mint in general, though, and I really like stouts. I'm less big on lactose in beers I've learned, and I think that contributes to the finish not working as well for me as the prior bits.

I don't know if this is a one off or if it'll be in the rotation, but it's worth trying if it sounds interesting, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it.



Cheers!

 

Samd City's Southdown Stout with Hazlenut. Full disclosure, I took a sip of my wife's at the brewery yesterday when she asked me to get a growler of it.
4.27/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pours black with a one inch fluffy tan head that left islands of blotchy lacing. Smells of hazelnut, dark chocolate, dark roasted malts and coffee. Tastes of hazelnut, dark chocolate (think liquefied Nutella), cocoa, roasted malts, bitter coffee and a hint of figs. Medium to full bodied, soft carbonation, dry finish and a just shy of creamy mouth feel.

 

A-Pours a solid black color with a nice light tan head and lacing
A-Aroma has chocolate, peanut butter and espresso coffee hints
T-the taste follows the nose with chocolate, peanut butter and espresso coffee flavors
T-A medium bodied decently carbonated beer
O-A good Porter

 

Thank you - and oh yeah - if I interpreted your use of italics correctly, thanks again - and good point - I'm referring to the original Bramble Rye...

I had the 12/10/11 bottling in May of 2012 and again in October (of 2012)...

 

Enjoy Matt!

Hopefully, when the brewer opens his own place, it will still be local to me!

 

My first beer today is an APA from Toppling Goliath.

Toppling Goliath Light Speed - Double Dry Hop
ABV: 5.9%
IBU: 50



Aroma is strong - fills the air as soon as you pop the top on the can. Citrus, pineapple, orange aroma.

Look is hazy pineapple juice color topped by a tall, airy head with large bubbles. The head fades quickly to a large island and an airy bubbly ring. Lacing is sparse splotches of bubbles, disconnected from each other. The body is attractive, but the head is not up to calling the look great.

Smooth feel with a moderate body. No carbonation feel, but it does not feel flat (if that makes any sense at all).

Taste repeats the aroma - citrus, pineapple. Initially, the taste is mild, but a prominent bitterness arrives right away and remains throughout, lingering on the tongue in the aftertaste. The bitterness is projecting, but far from overbearing. It gives a nice balance to the bready malts and juicy flavors.

Overall, this is a really good pale ale, providing the haziness, smooth feel, and juiciness that the current market seems to demand (and which is, let's face it, a TG strength) combined with the old school bitterness, which builds as you drink, and a semi-dry finish. Excellent. Just excellent.

L: 3.5 | S: 4.25 | T: 4.25 | F: 3.75 | O: 4.25 | BA rating: 4.16

 

As promised, back for round 2, and a beer from @FFFjunkie .

Hailstorm Brewing Lumberjack Breakfast. 13% ABV.

This is a beast, though it doesn't really have an alcohol burn. A sipper for sure, and I'm really enjoying this. I just can't thank you enough for sedning me this beer. My lump of coal heart has grown a bit drinking this.

4.39/5 rDev +1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A thick pouring, pitch black beer. 3 finger brown head. Head retention is very good, and there's some lacing on the glass.
The nose is woah! Deep, dark, rich coffee mixed in with an amazing maple aroma. The maple is such an amazing smell in this beer.
Taste - Maple and coffee. These flavors compliment each other. They are both about the same strength in the flavor department. Neither overpowers the other.
The body is creamy feeling. A bit thinner than I'd expect with a high ABV beer, but not watery. No real alcohol burn.
A delicious and solid coffee stout. Damn tasty.


This is a real heavy hitter, and I'm not sure there will be a round #3. If not, see you all next Sunday.

 

Happy NBS, NBSiens!
Another Sunday is upon us and once again I am taking it easy here. It is pretty chilly in Montreal today, but still a nice day. I'll call it brisk. We just got back from getting a tree and will potentially decorate tonight or, failing that, in the next couple of days. I am hoping to get into a couple beers today. For the first Sunday in a while I have a variety of stuff below 10% so I can more comfortably indulge and pick and choose what I want to try. The first beer of which is a saison.

This is a beer from an up-and-coming brewery who I am not even sure if they actually have a brewery yet or if they are all contracted at Boreale's facilities. Anyway, what I've had from them so far (almost all of it on NBSes come to think of it) has been pretty decent. This one was intriguing to me in that it is made with kamut, an ancient grain. According to the label this beer was made with 70% kamut, malt, "farmhouse yeast" and saaz hops. It explains that it is more flavorful and has much more protein than does modern wheat. Apparently Kamut is the brand of grain, here's what Wikipedia has to say about the grain itself:

A rich, nutty flavor sounds good, let's see if it was a good idea for them to include it here.



It pours cloudy straw with a short-lived white head that settles as a fuzzy film. Little retention; little lacing. Aroma of earthy yeast spice, wheat, some orange peel, a hint of something vaguely vegetal. The flavor follows suit. Light wheaty twang reminiscent of citrus and bread (à la a hefeweizen).

Very effervescent, rich-feeling yet very dry, tingling carbonation wave throughout my mouth. This is an enjoyable beer. Straight down the middle style-wise.

The yeast character is pretty balanced and not overly phenolic. A refreshing little beer. I'd have it again. I don't know that the grain choice brought anything noticeably different than what my palate and it was a little "flabby" (as I say) but not bad.

As I drink it, though I have a query for you stylistic hair-splitting, Sunday suds savants. Is this a not a Grisette?

I hope to be back later after lunch and a foray outside, for something homemade and seasonal.lly appropriate. We shall see.

Santé!

 

Funny you should state this.

There is an ongoing BA thread as to whether Todd the Axe Man has changed (see link below). Since this is the first time I have tried this beer I have no background to specifically opine on this beer as to whether it is different today than in the past (e.g., 2015).

Cheers!

https://www.beeradvocate.com/commun...the-axe-man-change.627607/page-3#post-6724458

 

I figured you were referring to an older vintage. You interpreted my italics correct. I did not want anyone to think I was referring to anything other than 2018. Look at that. We both interpreted one another correctly over the internet.

 

Hello, NBS! @Oconomowocian generously sent me a wonderful assortment of New Glarus beers, along with this awesomely proper glassware.

New Glarus Oud Bruin 2016 (I’ve not had this beer fresh)




Look: The beer pours murky, but translucent. Murky iced tea color. Amber - ruby brown. One finger of light khaki colored head settles to a thin layer across the top of the beer, with a thicker ring around the edge of the glass. No visible carbonation. A really beautiful looking beer in the natural light. Actually, quite stunning.

Smell: Sweet and sour. Red delicious apple, malt vinegar, brown raisin, fig, prune, brown sugar, rotting plum. The aroma on the beer is pretty nice, but the rotting fruit takes away a bit. There is some unpleasant aging coming through that leaves the aroma a bit stale and funky.

Taste: On the tip of the tongue some mild lemon acidity and white vinegar shifting to some sweet and sour cherry. Mid palate things sweeten up a bit to prune, rotting plum and watered down apple cider. The beer dries out quickly and nicely.

Feel: Very nice. Crisp and light on the palate with some prickly carbonation. A dry finish which I enjoy. No jowl hitting acidity.

Overall: I think this one suffers a bit from age. With that said, there are some wonderful elements present that I enjoy in the style. It’s still quite drinkable and overall enjoyable, but the acidity and tartness are a bit lacking for me, while the stale fruit flavor and aroma detracts from the bright and lively characteristic I enjoy in the style.

Thank you @Oconomowocian for this and all the other beers you sent. I’m hoping to review a couple more NG beers today after I take care of a couple honey do items!

 

Yep, I’ve participated in that thread a bit. Interesting opinions in that one.

 

Can't be too many beers like that around, imo .

I recently loaded up on Von Trapp Trosten, but would still be all over that the next time I'm shopping, if I see it. Thanks for the heads-up, fellas!

 

A-Pours a brownish color with a slight head and lacing
A-Aroma has High West Bourbon, rye, herbs and botanical hints
T-the taste follows the nose with well balanced High West Bourbon, rye, herbs and botanical flavors
T-A medium bodied decently carbonated beer
O-A good Rye beer

 

New Befuddlement Sunday here just south of the Beltway, DC at Fair Winds Brewing Company. Decided to stop by after brunch for a sip or two, sort of spurred by the missing Altbier thread (Fair Winds makes a decent one that’s not on now). They had two new IPAs on the menu, but they are listed at 12 IBU and 3.2 IBU (which I would assume is a typo for 32 except that it’s on both the menu and website as such) - so befuddling that they seem more like pale ales so far as bitterness goes.



I got Bodhi’s Last Ride, the one with almost 4x the bittering units - there must be no current overlap in sales with Columbus Brewing and this beer is not currently packaged. Second oddity is that both beers are listed as using Marris Otter Pale malt, but this uses Dark Munich malt, whereas Ride to Glory uses “just” Munich malt. Here’s the look comparison:


Mine is the “dark malt one” on the right - your right. Oh well...

I expect a fairly straightforward IPA from FW usually, but the IBU and flaked oats make me think a more juicy floral IPA is at hand.

The body is solid gold is color and clarity, to my preferences. There’s something keeping it just short of having pure clarity but it’s pretty close. The various dotted vertical lines stream upward at seemingly different rates, but all support a thick collar that doesn’t stray from the surface to the glass.

The nose has a little spice and light grain toast with some tangerine and lemon marmalade slathered on it. There’s some tropical skin and grass notes as supporting characters.

Taste starts with the lightest of toasted bread, and a bit of spice that seems almost like a dull hop burn. The carbonation is noticeable but soft with a body that is light leaning medium, the feel presumably a little fuller from the oats, as the brewer intended. Candied ruby grapefruit/tangerine/lemon act as the fruit components. The beer is lightly bitter, as if all 12 units of bitter can be felt on the clean, lighter malt playground.

So, this IPA is some form of old school pale ale with some new school hop techniques. Its malt profile seems light enough that the hops get the spotlight, which could just put it on the Indian side of the American/India pale ale divide. Note: Ride to Glory does seem more like an APA per my internal distinctions.

 

Quite the accomplishment in and of itself!