New Beer Sunday (Week 773)

I thought that, too, until I looked more closely.

Of course, if @VABA - along with a few others (grumble, grumble) would include the name of the beer in the post (grumble, grumble) so I wouldn't have to expand the picture and get within 6 inches of the screen (grumble, grumble), that wouldn't be a problem!

 

Alright, here's my second and final new beer of Sunday, the 15th of December, 2019!



I quite enjoyed the first Pastry Dreams beer by Cpt. Lawrence Brewing, so I figured I'd go ahead and grab a can of the newest incarnation as well. Whereas the former was brewed with coconut, chocolate, and lactose, this one is a coffee stout with coffee (duh), hazelnut, and lactose. Where the first entry was probably trying to invoke a German chocolate cake, this is likely going for a hazelnut espresso or something. Not really a pastry, but I suppose it could also be trying to style itself after an affogato? Who knows? All I know is I'm pumped.

The pour is a scary, dark-brown (nearing pitch black) liquid building up with an incredibly rich-looking dollop of deep mocha foam that sits quite like an espresso crema atop the beer itself. Very consistent lace and utterly fantastic legs. This is definitely quite a sultry looker of a dessert stout. I'm impressed. Even better than the coconut/chocolate one, in my opinion.

The nose here is pretty damn rich with coffee and hazelnut, along with nice caramel, roasted cocoa beans, and light notes of vanilla sugar. Roasty malts pop out as well, with some dulce de leche ice cream scents and more deep, earthy nuttiness on display as well. Wow, I'm looking forward to taking a big ol' sip of this decadent treat. It's interesting to me that Cpt. Lawrence does so many weird little series of IPAs, but this, their only stout series that I know of, seems more consistent than any of the IPA series just on the backs of these two first beers alone. I mean, I like their IPAs for the most part, but some are real misses. Sigh... anyway.

Wow, this is incredible. I mean, I kinda figured it was going to be based on that pour and that nose, but I'm happy to feel vindicated here. Alright, my first impression is that this is absolutely a coffee stout first, and a "pastry stout" second. That's a good move for them, in my opinion. It's a little lighter in body; airy, almost, with a playful carbonation and great treatment of the roasted coffee in the flavor profile. The nutty and earthy, slightly-sweet hazelnut elements play a big part in diversifying the palate as well as grounding this so it doesn't feel messy whatsoever. I didn't really think it'd be a mess, per se, but some of these stronger dessert-ish dark beers can lose focus quickly. This is, by comparison, quite tight and laser-sighted on delivering that hazelnut coffee element quite proficiently. Dry rather than sweet, for sure, though the lactose does help give a little helping of vanilla-like creaminess in the finish. You can definitely tell this has no "cocoa" or "chocolate" in the ingredients list; it's far roastier and more of a coffee beer than any kind of chocolate or milk/sweet stout I've had any time recently. I will have absolutely no issue finishing the rest of this can, and would definitely seek out more of this fine brew. I'll be looking forward to new Pastry Dreams beers by Cpt. Lawrence, that's for sure!

 

I thought the same thing but one of them has orange in it and the other has coconut. They really ought to look into differentiating their labels a little more

 

People Pleaser a 4/8 ABV Vienna Lager from Untied Brewing a brewery that opened about a year ago in my home town. This is a nice beer, Amber with a thin but lasting head. Nice bready aroma with a small hop presence. Taste is also bready malts but with a nice hop bitterness, The mouthfeel is light and the finish dry and a bit bitter. A nice brew would be a good every day beer.

 

Oh, crap! I've got a teenager!!


Ok, well, Surly 13 isn't a bad teenager. I'm really digging the maple in this beer. It's mellow at first, but kicks in more on the backside. I also am really digging the package size. It's hard for me to drink a 750ml bottle, but a 16 oz can is a lot easier to drink and enjoy. If Surly would do Darkness in this format, I'd be buying it again.

Review:
4.38/5 rDev +3.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pors pitch black. Thick pouring. 2 finger brown head. Head retention is decent. There's some lacing on the glass.
The nose is a nice maple aroma. Not too strong. Somewhat mellow.
Taste - The maple really kicks in hard on the backside. Up front there's a nice smooth chocolate flavor, with some caramel mixed in.
The body is decent for this style. Pretty thick feeling. Smooth, and a minimal alcohol burn.
Solid offering from Surly, and I'm really digging the size of the can. A 16 oz can is a lot easier to enjoy over a 750ml (25+ oz) bottle. If Darkness were in this size, I'd buy it again.


I'll see if I can do one more today.

 

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

Nice to be back on NBS again after phone issues made it difficult for the last few weeks. Had a couple new beers last night at Whistle Punk's tap room. A nice, mellow English-influenced Winter Warmer ale, and a sorta hazy IPA that was brewed with Mango puree that was sweetly fruity but never lost sight of being an IPA.

Right now I'm watching the Seahawks handle the Panthers, mostly with their defense. It's in the low 30s outside. Spokane got a couple inches of snow early Tuesday morning, but it's virtually all gone. Things are pretty much just cold and gray at the moment.

Right now I'm drinking and reviewing an imperial hazy IPA from Vancouver, Washington's Trap Door Brewing that's a nod to a great film, and had to be added to the database here on BA:

Brewed in collaboration with Stormbreaker Brewing to celebrate the 10th anniversary of a beer bar and/or bottle shop I've not been to called Beermongers (presumably in Portland), it's got a thin head despite a fairly rough pour. Nose and taste of tropical fruits and grapefruit. Nice, but probably would've been better if fresher (canned sometime in September). Another fine beer from Trap Door.

Might be back with another, not sure. Lots of errands to run once the Seahawks are done. Cheers!

 

Welcome to NBS and congrats on getting a longtime want.

 

That is a great beer !!

 

I had the Mocha variant last week, and I still have a raspberry variant to try. Yeah, very similar beer labels...

 

I finally got my hands on some in-date King Sue this week. This beer deserves the hype we hear. In Citra we trust.
By the way, my son is reading the book, not me, but I did skim through it while drinking the beer.
4.68/5 rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Poured from a 16oz can marked "PKGD 10/10/19, Best By 02/07/20" to a Nonic.
A medium frothy white head sits atop an opaque, chalky orange/yellow body. Even when held to a light, only the periphery of the glass glows. Some floaties plaster themselves to the side of the glass with minor movement as if asking to escape.
The aroma is awesome. It hits you even while pouring. Apricot, orange, cream-cycle.
Front of taste is similar to the smell. This fades to a nice dry hop bite.
Even though the appearance implies a thick and creamy mouthfeel, it is actually moderate and there is appropriate carbonation to clean things up.
This is an excellent beer.

 

As far as the question posed above:
I'm kind of known to be the resident Scrooge re: the holidays at work. I'm surrounded by those who proudly proclaim that they can't wait until the day after Halloween to start in on the holiday decorations/clothes/music/etc. In the interest of maintaining relationships I usually remove myself from the conversation at that point.
As far as beverages are concerned, I will get a little festive from time to time, and we're within the '12 days' (which is already 11 days more than just about ANY other holiday, so miss me with this assertion that I'm somehow being offensive for not wanting to start TWO MONTHS EARLY). Anyway.
Today will be one such day.
I've amazingly never had Doggie Claws from Hair of the Dog before. Well, I've got a couple from the last few years sitting in the 'cellar' and so I figure I should at least try one fresh to have a baseline for when I DO open up the age-d ones.



The first impression I have of this beer is that... it's really not a pretty beer. It's a murky muddy brown body. A couple of wet bubbbles, but that's about it and meh. The bubbles themselves don't seem to have their heart in it.

Thankfully once we get past appearance things begin to look up significantly. The aroma leads in with elements of leather and caramel and the honey starts to come forth. Some chocolate around the edges and a light fresh thing in the middle that I will soon learn comes from the hops.

So about those hops. This is an American barleywine. Flavour starts to impart some of the same as above: leather. Caramel. hone-HOPS! HOPS! Big citrus jumps in front of everything else, and dominates the rest of the tongue. Big bitter hops come through and it's beautiful northwest deliciousness. The honey offers some sweet counterbalance so it's not overwhelming, and there's still some of that leather and tobacco *refined* type flavours. This is an enjoyable big hoppy barleywine now, and leaves me salivating for how it'll present after laying down for a couple of years.
Mostly flat, but it actually kind of works here. Oily and smoothe sans carbonation and the finish leaves elements of sweet honey and bitter hops.

I dig it. I love barleywines, and this is a quite enjoyable one. It's definitely in that hoppy American style, and I look forward to returning to it over time and seeing how the bottles in my 'cellar' progress over time.



Cheers, and go Hawks!

 

Ah my bad. I swear I looked at it twice and it was the same. It was all tongue in cheek anyway

 

Brasserie des Rocs Grand Cru


Pours a hazelnut brown color with a huge, stable eggshell colored head.


Smells of milk chocolate, green peppers, allspice and anise. Quite forward on the spices, this manages to establish a balancing herbal hop presence on the nose, providing an intriguing depth.


Has a soft, medium bodied mouthfeel with a fitting, lighter effervescence during its finish.


Has a soft, almost aqueous beginning, followed up by bakers chocolate, cardamom and glazed toffee, together with a light note of dried leaves. Those produce a pleasant dryness, feathering the overall malt sweetness in this a bit, allowing for spicy licorice and a whiff of milk chocolate to cut through. Finishes with even more spicy, chewy licorice and sweeter turning chocolate among rock sugar and very light noble hops.


Quite pleasant with a great mouthfeel to it, this provides a classic belgian sweetness with a satisfying depth to it.

 

Creative Creature Smackers Red Raspberry Gose 5%. First time trying this. Creative Creature is a local brewery doing some really good stuff. I just found a new liquor store that sells singles of everything so I grabbed some sours that I've never tried before. It's tasting really good on a mild sunny day down by the crick


Boulevard Chill Vibes Sour Ale with Cucumber 4.2%. I really like this. Better than expected.

 

No problem dude!

I had to reread the labels to make sure I was getting the right beers.

 

Good Sunday afternoon, fellow New Beer Samplers and commentators. Yes, it's the mad Pre-Christmas dash. December is my busiest month at work due to the need to close transactions by year's end. It really makes it hard for me to get into the holiday spirit with lots of late nights and working on weekends. Hopefully by next Sunday my childlike enthusiasm will return.

Today's NBS #1 is Mornin' Latte, a 10% Coffee Milk Stout brewed by Toppling Goliath. It's my first Toppling Goliath Stout. It's still a little shocking to see its beers for sale locally. I remember how excited I was to receive Pseudo Sue, King Sue, and Sosus in trades or BIFs. Mornin' Latte is very well-done. Unlike many burnt, bitter coffee stouts and porters, the coffee tastes like its freshly-brewed. It's quite sweet. In a New Jersey diner, we'd call it "regular coffee light and sweet." What really adds to the taste are subtle notes of cocoa, toffee, and brown sugar, along with burnt, earthy nuts. I'll have to pick up another pack of it while I can. Here's my full review:

4.37/5 rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Canned on 11/11/2019 and poured into snulip glass at approximately 60 degrees. It pours a dark walnut color approaching black with a large, creamy, light khaki head and a creamy film of lacing. It's a picture perfect pour. The smell features freshly-brewed coffee, lactose cream, earthy nuts, and whiffs of milk chocolate, toffee, and brown sugar. The taste is very coffee-forward. The coffee is fresh and if ordered in a New Jersey diner, we'd call it "light and sweet." There is a strong dose of milk/lactose but it's balanced the the acidity of the coffee and by slightly bitter char and nuts. There are also notes of milk chocolate. It finishes with some hop bitterness. The taste is very fresh and bold. It drinks like a Stout with a rich, thick mouth feel and a low to moderate level of carbonation. The 10% ABV gives it good substance. Overall, this is my first Toppling Goliath Stout and it didn't disappoint. The freshly-brewed coffee taste sets it apart from its more burnt coffee counterparts. Given its sweetness, I don't see pairing it with food but it would make a fine morning coffee beer, if you're so inclined, or for dessert.

Enjoy your new beer(s) today. I hope to be back shortly with #2. Cheers, NBS!

 

I don't do anything special for the holidays , beer-wise, for myself, but I do splurge a bit on others. Everybody in my family has other places to go (in-laws, etc) for the holidays themselves, so we have our celebration(s) the week or so before (this weekend). I made the rounds this week , especially yesterday, with two visits to Beer Tree, Sam the Beer Man (beer store), Wegmans , and my (& ~ everybody's) favorite local winery , Black Bear.
(Anybody want to buy a small winery/brewery[hard cider]? Really - they're retiring at the end of the month.)
Of course, I held back at least one each of the new-to-me beers for myself .(To share with y'all, of course. )

Here's one , K.R.E.A.M. (Kolsch Rules Everything Around Me) , from Aurora Ale & Lager (website & BA) aka Aurora Brewing (their cans) , a 5% kolsch.
I don't have much experience with the style : all I've ever had were either old, or a variation other than the traditional type, so....short version : I really like this.


Canned 11/26.

L : Hazy pale gold . Long-lasting creamy white head. Heavy , long-lasting lacing.

S : Smell is lightly grassy, vaguely fruity, slightly spicy, with a little bready malt.

T : Taste is light bread crust, floral/herbal/slightly spicy (Noble) hops, followed by dried lemon rind , with some sourdough-bread-like tang. Moderate bitterness, that becomes more pronounced towards finish .

F : Feel is medium and creamy, with very, very fine, but sharp carbonation tingle, that lingers awhile, giving a slightly drying effect.

O : A great example of "easy drinking". Done with it, almost without noticing, and and tempted to go for another. (.but..but..but.... have other things I want to try. ) Highly recommend giving it a try.
4.23/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/45871/454448/

 

Well if you love that one, Bottle Logic has some even better offerings. Noted.

 

OMG a 2012... I still hold MOAS as one of my tops BA barleywines. I have a vertical building from 2011 on to 2017... But a few years ago I popped a '12, and pure bliss.