New Beer Sunday (Week 779)

I get it in a lot of beers (especially IPAs). It could just be one of those odd personal things rather than a conventional comparison.

 

First entry into New Beer Sunday!



I’ve got a Jolly Pumpkin LA Roja variant with blackberry and raspberry with a 4/19/19 date stamp.

A: has that classic amber hued reddish Red Flanders color. A somewhat aggressive pour leads to a two finger head that fades pretty quickly to a thin 1/32” head. A nice mellow carbonation gives it nice life

S: got a strong tartness and “jammy” aroma from the fruit which nicely complements the subtle red wine vinegar and oak.

T: that tartness in the aroma is strong in the flavor and is a nice partner to the acidity. I’d say maybe a 5/10 on the sourness. Finishes on the back of the tongue and throat where the base beer, oak, and spiciness are present. I expected more jammy sweetness from the fruit but it is nicely blended into the overall flavors rather than take center stage.

M: a bit thin with that oily, viscous texture that slides right down the throat. I actually wish is “stuck” in the mouth a bit longer as I feel the complex flavors escape down the hatch a bit too quick.

O: a really nice variant on the staple Red Flanders offering from Jolly Pumpkin. As stated I expected the fruit to be a bit more prominent similar the the Kriek variant that they offered. I’m not complaining as the blend is nice, just surprised. I feel like the complexity of this style is something I’m not experienced enough with to fully appreciate so it leaves me intrigued to continue exploring the aged, bottle fermented sours. I must confess I’m just on the tail end of a 5 day sickness so my senses are still a bit muted - not the best time to sample a new beer.





Enjoying this with a bit of Lee Dorsey o the turntable. This guy with the Meters backing him is a great “Sunday groove”!!!

 

El amor prohibido
..solid black
... light carbonation, above average body. Has a thick creamy feel,overall excellent feel
..aroma is chili peppers, roasted malt,coffee, coffee liqueur, fudge/chocolate
...peppers dont show up till half through tasting. Peppers than linger and it takes even longer for the heat to appear. Mildly sweet, fudge coffee candy
..an excellent chili stout, full flavored,great body. Would pick this up again without hesitation

 

Time for another new beer, Burial Skillet Donut Stout! Thank you @Steban for this!

4.33/5 rDev +2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

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

A- Back with a three finger mocha head.

S- Roasted coffee, roasted malts, some molasses, mild fruitiness.

T- Roasted coffee, some caramel malts, molasses, nice mild fruitiness.

M- Smooth, medium body.

O- A tasty coffee stout, reminds me in a nice cold brew coffee.

Cheers!

 

This is one of the beers @Prager62 sent me recently, because he's an amazing human. I had to add it to the database. Really complex and huge beer. Drinking it in honor of my buddy, Cash. Felt appropriate tonight after the news of nine dead out in California.



Pours a deep black with a thick dark tan head that disappeared quickly leaving medium lacing.

The smell is a fight between peppers and cinnamon with the peppers getting the gist punch but cinnamon getting the knockout.

The cinnamon dominates the taste up front. The chocolate and vanilla sneak in for a second before the peppers come in mid-palette. At the end, this is all RIS - huge notes of char, smoke, and leather with a slightly bitter finish. Not getting any barrel presence.

The mouthfeel is decently thick but not over the top. The finish on this beer is really powerful and lingering.

Overall a huge beer that is truly a slow sipper. Lots going on to enjoy.

 

Sold!
I'd never heard of it till just now, but seeing people's reactions on here has inspired me to put it on my reading list and keep an eye peeled for copies.

 

Poured into a 13 oz Teku glass not sure when it was canned. Pours a very slick near pitch black, with a three finger sticky brown head that leaves a ton of thick lace behind with nice retention. 4.5

Smell maple, vanilla beans, cocoa, toffee, and coffee. 4.25

Taste follows maple immediately, vanilla, cocoa, toffee, hazelnut, and coffee. 4.25

Mouthfeel is a big medium, maybe a little dry, gentle carbonation near perfect for the style, and 9% ABV goes down very easy. 4.5

Overall this is some very tasty stuff, really recommend this one. 4.25

 

There are some variants on the Duchesse, but you may find them tamer than the real deal...

 

That was an "It" beer about 13 years ago!

 

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/46317/460498/



Canned early fall, 2019.
Released 10 days ago after lagering in the can for a few months. Moderate pour yields a 1/2 inch tan head over a medium amber to mahogany body with a bit of sticky lacing. Nose of caramel, nougat, and slight chocolate and even slighter dark fruit. Taste follows nose closely with a finish of cocoa. Very nice feel and overall, damn, what a fine take on this classic style.
Cheers to John K. for another superb offering!

 

Thanks for sharing your emotions with us. I could only hope my way out is as good as your fathers. At his age, busy being active and helping others is, well in my opinion, a great way to go!!!

Love that you got the interview as well - I wish I had a better understanding of where I came from and I’m sure your family will appreciate what you’ve done and it will have a impressionable impact!

 

Ah okay and that explains a hint of what I was tasting then as well. I prefer my Kolsch to be lighter but this wasn't bad at all and it did put an interesting spin on to it.

 

I enjoyed the Locust Lane Kolsch as well.

Cheers!

 

Great story ! I hope when the time comes I am as lucky as your Dad.

 

Ok, back home after hitting 4 new breweries to me today, and 4 new beers.
Now to an actual review of a beer, since I'm home alone.

From Wicked Wort Brewing.

Fresh Hop Harvest Ale.

I had to add this to the system here. All I had to go with is the name on the can, so I hope I got it right.

This is a nice ale. It has a nice malt sweetness to it, pcaked with a tropical hop flavor that really tastes good. This beer is quite easily crushed at 4.7% ABV. Damn tasty.

3.91/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Pours a slightly murky, darker golden color. 3 finger white head, that dissipates fairly fast. Some lacing on the glass.
The nose has a nice tropical aroma to it. Tropical smelling citrus from the hops. Mango seems to be the main aroma. Some pineapple, but the mango is the star to my nose.
Taste - It has a crisp flavor. There's a sweetness to it backed up by mango, and some pineapple to my taste buds.
Crisp feeling. Some carbonation feel, a bit bubbly. Actually fairly thick for the ABV.
Tasty and refreshing.



I think this will be it for tonight, so I'll see you all next week for the next NBS!!!

 

Greetings, NBS...it has been a weird day capping itself off with a cell phone malfunction that I hope just annoying. So no picture this evening.

I will pick on Mom's cooking from the opener. She was pretty bad which is not typical in a Portuguese household one generation off the boat. Largely meat and potatoes and very little adventure except during hunting season. Then Dad would cook venison and the occasional game bird or rabbit. When I started playing out with a Portuguese band at 15, I discovered my own "native" cuisine and haven't looked back. Culinary adventures have been budget limited at times, but never really stop. I think that reflects in my beer drinking as well...you never know what you might or might not like, so why not? Our kids at least tried whatever we ate and our little grandson has had Thai, Indian, Portuguese, Greek, etc...so we hope that is a good thing.

I am going back to the archeological dig that is my beer collection and having another Maker beer from Jacks Abby. This one is Brewery Maker, bottle date illegible so I have no idea how old this one is versus the Bride Maker I had a couple of weeks ago.

Pours a muddy but not unattractive brown and sports a tan head that tried valiantly to hold on but ultimately failed. Nothing left once it fell, but rolling the beer in the glass it has a nice cling to the glass.

The smell is dominated by dark fruits followed by caramel sweetness. It is also pretty bready, so heavy malt is expected. The bourbon is pretty faint and there is an even more minute remnant of vanilla. So I am expecting sweetness in the taste. I swear as it warms a bit I am getting a decent hit of cherry pipe tobacco...Middleton that my Dad smoked once in a while way back when.

Oh yeah...this one is sweet. Lots of caramel, dark/sweet fruit medley, all dragging with it a dark bread flavor. There is a bit of bitterness, and the ample alcohol is still...well...ample, and almost harsh versus pleasantly warming.

It is heavy and sticky, yet still not unpleasant. I can't quite decide if it is port, sherry, or brandy-like.

I like it and see no reason to not review another ancient brew. The sweetness is right on the edge for me, but there is enough to look for besides the sweetness. Big beer meant for sippin', so I am gonna sit here and sip for a while. A bit north of 4.0 on this one, but not too far.

Cheers!

 

Moving right along...

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/31515/323688/



No canning date, but my favorite local shop received some a couple weeks ago. Moderate pour yields a 1.5 inch tan head over a dark brown body with some sticky lacing. Nose of dark malts, coffee, and slight maple. Taste follows nose fairly close with mostly coffee and a bit of maple and chocolate on the finish. Good feel and overall, a nice Oatmeal Stout from Portland, Maine.
Cheers for my second offering from these guys!!!

 

How are their other beers?