New Beer Sunday (Week 789)

Happy Sunday everyone, enjoying an afternoon outside with a Barrique collab I brought back from a February Nashville trip



Overall a tasty wild ale that delivers a great tart punch. Beautiful, clear red copper color with no lacing. Find flavor improves as it warms, with a nice lingering finish. A solid beer, look forward to trying more Barrique brews (if I’m lucky enough!)

 

Thanks to @ovaltine and @Whyteboar, I'm really starting to like Revolution.

 

NBS BIF 11 Mystery Beer #2

This one goes to 11. 11.2% actually. With that as my first clue from @Mbgreg, I’m guessing it’s a barrel-aged imperial stout or barleywine before I even open it.

When I do pop the top, it pours a ruby-tinted dark chestnut brown with a short-lived, thin mocha head that leaves no lacing.

Gentian root, fig, cola, chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon and coconut show in the nose. It’s very cinnamon forward, to the point where it may even be aged on palo santo or other cinnamon-like wood.

It’s similarly spicy tasting with a strong cinnamon component, although I’m now thinking it almost definitely has some pepper, rather than an exotic wood component. There’s some fairly strong spicy heat to it that goes beyond alcohol alone. There’s also more cola, some slight chocolate and even slighter vanilla notes.

It’s on the light side of medium bodied and has a slightly slick feeling. Moderate carbonation.

This is very spicy. I’m guessing some sort of Mexican-themed imperial stout with peppers and cinnamon. Maybe even habaneros? It’s not super smokey, and has more bite than most peppered stouts I’ve tried.

And the reveal...


13 Stripes Brewery Olde Soul — a gin barrel-aged imperial stout with cinnamon, cayenne and ancho peppers.

I sometimes forget how spicy regular cayenne pepper can be. I wouldn’t have guessed ancho, though, as the smokiness here is pretty restrained.

Gin barrels are brilliant for a blind beer. I don’t drink a lot of gin, but knowing that it’s in there, I think I can pick up a faint juniper character.

Thanks again, Mark. I’ll enjoy sipping through the rest of this.

 

Nice job. Did that involve Photoshop? Or, how did you do the background?

 

Beer #2 for today, also from the NBS BIF #11 courtesy of @ovaltine. This one is Deduction, by Taxman Brewing Co.



3.83/5 rDev -1.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Pours a dark amber. Minimal head with almost no lacing. Nice malty smell with fig undertones. Taste is pleasing, as the raisins and figs used in the brewers description of the beer are apparent, with the fig the more prevalent of the two. Feel is a little thin. Goes down smoothly for 8%. Overall a good dubbel.

Thanks @ovaltine!

 

Ok, here we go, mystery beer time! This 375 ml bottle had foil around the label and tape over the bottle cap, so no hints there. This note also accompanies the bottle.

From the hints the @2beerdogs left me throughout the BIF I knew there had to be some hints in the note itself, if not misdirection as well. I let the bottle warm a bit before pouring into a stemless wine glass. There was just a touch of sediment dried around the lip of the bottle that I thought may be a hint in itself. The pour was quite a dark brown, but allowed light to penetrate around the edges of the glass in the afternoon sun. My first pour yielded a one finger light tan head that dissipated with a little time.

The aroma was immediately funky. Being that much of my haul was big on stouts, I had a feeling that this would not also be one. The coming tartness was evident in the aroma. Also present was a dark fruit aroma. I was thinking dark cherries. Deeper scents were also at play though. Something rich lurked under the funk, think mild chocolate and/or leather. My interest was indeed piqued.

Now onto my favorite part of any review, the taste. My nose did not lead me in the wrong direction as this was immediately very tart and fruity. Again I leaned toward cherry. The chocolate aroma seemed to be there as well(my memory of the sediment around the top of the bottle had me thinking this as well). The more I drank the more I detected the presence of spiciness of oak along with the previously mentioned leather quality. The finish was funk on top of funk. The viscosity was not overly thick and easy to drink. Surely, this had to be a wild ale of some kind. As I drank I began playing with the cap a bit wondering how the sediment dried on it might taste. As I swiped it with my finger I saw the letters "TERRE" and I had my first concrete clue. I should have guessed Bruery Terreux sooner, but I was surely lost in the sauce.

I began doing a little research into Bruery Terreux beers to see if anything jumped out at me. There were a number of wild ales that employed the use of cherries. There may have been one or two with chocolate as well, but the hues of the beers didn't match. I finally came across their Oude Tart which is a Flanders Red aged in oak wine barrels. Surely this must be it. I wouldn't have expected quite such darkness from a Flanders, but if red wine barrels had been used then I could see the color deepening. It was time for the reveal.

Swing and a miss! Bruery Terreux's Tart of Darkness with black currants(2018) was hiding beneath the foil. It was then that I remembered the note with mention of "the heart of darkness." Even though I was trying to be on guard for these types of hints I completely whiffed.

From the brewers descrption, "Tart of Darkness is a sour stout aged in oak. Brewed to resemble a stout at its foundation, the journey into tartness begins with fermentation in large oak puncheons at Bruery Terreux, where it’s treated to a special blend of souring bacteria and wild yeast cultures. Following a slow but wildly active fermentation, the beer is transferred for extended aging into a dedicated collection of used oak barrels for Tart of Darkness. This includes emptied bourbon barrels from The Bruery that previously held beers such as Black Tuesday®. This special edition was aged with black currants." This is my first sour stout, but I enjoyed the way the roastiness played with the tart fruit. I'm sure that had to play into the chocolate notes I detected. I nailed a few of the flavors, but would not have guessed black currants over cherries. This was the perfect beer to sip on the back porch while listening to the new Phish album, Sigma Oasis. Watching my dogs sniff around in the newly growing grass with a fantastic beer made this feel like my personal oasis. Thanks again @2beerdogs for not only the new brewery, but a new style to me entirely. Hope everyone else is having a day as beautiful.

4.36/5 rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Look - This beer pours a very dark reddish brown with a one finger tan head.
Smell - Immediately funky with notes of fruit. There is also a deeper scent of leather and oak.
Taste - Sharp sour up front with funkiness on the finish, lots of funk. The presence of fruit is detectable, but I would not have guessed black currant. Almost a slight chocolate flavor that must come from the roasty quality of the stout. Very pleasant.
Feel - Smooth and soft, astringent.
Overall - This was my first ever sour stout, and it was quite delicious. I enjoyed the deep roasty flavor of a stout melding with sour and tart fruit.

 

Hello NBS! It cleared up here and almost hit 60F. Lots of yard work today and the entire household participated! Nothing like quarantine to make people anxious to do anything different to break up the boredom.
I am still sticking with local beers hoping my support keeps them all (most....some) afloat.
This is Mutually Assured Destruction Imperial Stout from Thimble Island Brewing.

4.03/5 rDev -3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured at room temp from an undated, 12oz bottle to a diagonally cut tumbler.
Dark black body with a hint of brown at the edges if you hold the glass to the light. Lacing is nice, but the tan head fizzles before your eyes within half a minute of the pour. It actually effervesces during this period, like a soda or antacid.
Aroma is of molasses, booze, roasted malt and the results of Maillard reactions.
Taste is musty but sweet and sticky. This one goes to 11 (ABV) and you can sense it well enough.
That effervescence appears again with each sip, but in a way its welcome due to the stickiness. On the other hand it makes it so you can only really taste the beer after the fuzz fades. Maybe if my sample came from the Fridge this would not be so prominent, but neither would the flavors.
Overall, points off for the head, smell is great, bubbliness may be my fault (temp) --- Decent, would not refuse one in the future.

 

G'day BAs!

Most of the snow from our last storm has melted away so I can actually see a light at the end of the tunnel.

My new beer, imho, is an outstanding Gose from Brazil. Very pricey but worth the go.



"Over $14 for a 16 ounce can so it better be good. 15:53 on the bottom of the can means nothing to me.

I pulled the tab, bought it warm, and it started to gush. Lost a couple of ounces.

It pours a hazy straw yellow, almost orange, decent head of foam but man, I doubt that I have ever seen foam dissipate that quickly.

The nose is very fruity and sour. Tropical fruity with notes of mango and passionfruit. Somewhat acetic, more than somewhat pleasing.

This is bursting with flavour. Passionfruit and mango are brilliant. Somewhat acetic sourness present.
Finish hints at some lime tartness.
This is quite sour so take that into account if you see it on the shelf. And again, take the price into consideration. For me, it is worth a one time purchase."

Prost!

 

Nope, that photo was unedited. Super eager to play with it in lightroom, but haven't tried it yet.

I created a foil background by gluing foil to poster board. It's been a fun background so far.

 

Good Afternoon NBS!!!
A little cheat here. But I wanted to share thoughts on a phenomenal new beer to me, courtesy of @larryi86 in our little chaos known as NBS BIF #11

4.34/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Technically drank last night, but so worthy of bending the rules to talk about today.
Pours a stunning opaque peach-hued orange color that pushes a vibrant white cap nearly 3 fingers high. Solid retention.
Aroma begins with a burst of citrus just like when you peel the rind away from an overly mature orange. Zesty orange and tangerine tap out for some slightly pithy grapefruit, a slight dank note, and a gentle herbal spice.
Taste follows the aroma's debut astutely. The bountiful citrus wash starts but still makes plenty of room for the sweet creamy grain notes. A follow of more subtle mango and peach notes tapers off to a smooth warm bitterness.
Mouthfeel is medium, fluffy, nicely carbonated. Gently warm on the finish.
Overall, I love this one.

 

Very nicely done, too!

 

Great review. Like I said, probably my favorite TH beer. Punge comes close, but has had a lot of batch inconsistency. Looking forward to the next time either comes up, as TH now ships to our PA place!

 

Hey all! Guess I only do NBS every other week these days, but glad to see a lot of old friends are sticking around through the days of quarantine. I am still considered an essential healthcare worker (since I work for a VA mailorder pharmacy), so I haven't really had much time off myself, but I can't hang out with the majority of my friends. The good thing is that over the last few weeks I've been hitting it off quite well with a very cool lady I work with. Hooray for potentially starting a relationship while everyone else is in lockdown and has to socially distance themselves! We interact at work every day so we can't really do much in the way of distancing, therefore we've figured we may as well make the most of that fact . Cool little story that should give me some BA clout... a few weeks ago she knew very little about beer, but she went to go grab some wine and stuff to make homemade Sex on the Beach cocktails yesterday and ended up grabbing a bottle of Dragon's Milk and BLVD Dark Truth as well as a few IPAs I've never had. I think she's a keeper!

Anyway, on to the beer. I'll have one more new one today, some time after this...



This beer is called Shower in the Brewhouse and it is a collaboration between J. Wakefield and Brouwerij West. They call it a "West Coast hazy IPA" that has been double dry-hopped with an experimental hop blend called "The Bruce" as well as the experimental NZ hop varietal EXP32-1. I have no experience with either of this whatsoever, so this should be fun.

The pour is, of course, quite hazy and chalky, with a nice density to it. The head is short-lasting and not superb or special in any way, and even the lace is kind of nonexistent. Decent legs and I guess the color itself is fine, but this is not a looker for the most part.

The nose is quite nice with stately notes of grassy and herbal hoppiness upfront paired with light notes of ground orange peel, grapefruit, gooseberry, guava, and ripe mango. Apparently "The Bruce" is a blend of Nelson, Motueka, Pacifica, and Pacific Jade, with the catch being that each hop involved was harvested during a specific period of its growth season. It's a little like a combination of Citra and Nelson in some senses; a touch catty and herbal, with very nice citrus and light tropical/funky aspects peeking out around the edges. Looking up 32-1 hops yields some results, however sparse, detailing a varietal with passion fruit, lime, and candied melon notes. I get some of those, sure, but I still stand by how I described it above.

The flavor profile has some light chewy oatiness upfront with a mid-palate full of grapefruit, orange, and passion fruit flavors. Light notes of mango and even pineapple really come through toward the finish, alongside some of the herbal stuff I expected from the nose. It's a little bland, though, honestly. Something about all of the complex hops just doesn't punch through the murky surface a majority of the time, and I'm left wanting a little more "oomph" with nearly each sip. It's a bit disappointing, because, I know both of the breweries involved are capable of superb hazy pale ale styles, and I was excited to try this because of its use of some more experimental hops, but it doesn't really go all the way it needs to in order to succeed outright. Oh well, on to the next!



Hey, someone got prog rock in my atmospheric death metal!

 

Nice job, @kemoarps, throwin @Roguer for a loop and even representing the Skagit Valley!

 

I don’t come over here enough, but this is the essence of being a beer geek, buying and drinking new stuff. I’ve put together a couple of nice orders with my favorite bottle shop up in Tucson to help both of us out tbh, and my son is in their 5 mile delivery radius so it’s a win win. My latest discovery is La Cumbre Project and mama mia is this a great beer, esp if u like hops. Everyone stay safe this week and moving forward and hope you all have good things to eat and drink as we wait it out, cheers!

4.77/5 rDev +7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

It smells like MJ, and I ain’t talking Michael Jordan, herbal, piney, hoppy, strong. It has a nice light golden hue, a little head and lacing.
Taste is similar to the smell, very hoppy, weedy, some malt and fruit flavors, citrus, poke thru as well. It’s a bittah monstah, but pretty well balanced as well. It reminds me of Surly Abrasive in that regard. I love their Elevated IPA, but this is my jam right here, worth every penny (paid 4.50 for the pint). I’ll not only buy again, but I’ll seek it out!

 

Good afternoon fellow NBSers! A cloudy, but seasonal, day here in the Fourth Corner. At least most of the trees and shrubs are in/are in the process of bloom/blooming.

As Y'all have no doubt noticed, today is the Share Date for NBS 11. I'm gonna start with my Mystery Beer from @DonnieT79 . The Spinal Tap label tells me that it's a fine line between stupid and clever. But, in reality it's Don't Drive On The Railroad tracks by Nowhere In Particular but contract brewed at The Rivertown Brewing:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/38054/476160/?ba=beertunes#review

 

Happy NBS everyone!

Just a couple new brews for me today. First was this local barrel aged imperial stout from Wolf's Ridge:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/33530/468582/?ba=bluejacket74#review





And then a toasted marshmallow milk stout from Royal Docks:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/42493/294096/?ba=bluejacket74#review




Cheers and stay safe!

 

Good afternoon NBS and thanks @superspak for the start , Work at the cemetery is, leading to todays offering from Area 2 (Two Roads)
The Synopsis Black Currant is very well executed, tart, fruit forward without a delightful snap courtesy of kettle soured grain base.
I would be remiss if I didnt give a shout out to the Saison tasting effort by @FBarber over the last 2 days. A very good time
Enjoy your Palm Sunday for those who celebrate
Stay well all
Synopsis - Black Currant

Area Two Experimental Brewing
American Wild Ale | 6.4% ABV

4.1/5 rDev -0.2% | Average: 4.11
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a recently purchased 16 oz. can with a complicated message on the bottom. Revealing no date.
A - Ruby colored backdrop, amazing Lavender froth caps the offering. Lacing is seductive in nature and provacative in color.
S - Nice mash up of black currant, soured wheat , lactic bite on the nose, hints fortells the future, Very much in the young Claret mold.
T - Tannin, with edgy fruits/ sour blend. Floral and fresh, a bit of Jam in there. A very deep dive into black currant, with hints of sour, and spicy pepper.
M - Sharp, lots of edges, tannin, tart start then waves of fruit are followed with ashen dryness.
O - A very expressive offering, sweet and tart to the extremes. Somehow balances to a very enjoyable offering screaming for 80% chocolate.

 

3 top IPAs from Whole Foods while shopping Covid Time. Be well everyone!
** How has Covid shifted beer buying and tasting for you?
If you're 60, WFM may open 1 hour early for your shopping. Mine does.
But NJ has to relax its blue laws to allow beer purchases then!

Northern Hemisphere Wet Hop IPA | Sierra Nevada
4.34/5 rDev +4.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
SN never disappoints. This is one of their best.
a) Copper dark body sporting dense head with huge lacing splash. Extra points for color hue.
s) Features a fresh sawn wood, cedar, pine, sharp, spicy, and citrus.
t) Follow, with more wood shop, toast, rose, orange rind, delicate wood sap sweetness. Layered complexity.
f) Resiny, grassy, Yes clean and sharply bright.
o) Sum is greater than the parts too.
40th Hoppy Anniversary Ale | Sierra Nevada
3.96/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Best mass craft, never disappoints and not 40th year or here.
a) Slightly murky nut / amber body sports standard head and lace.
s/t) Just more IPA than their APA: more pine balanced by minor mostly lime citrus and malt sweet. Between Pale and Torpedo.
f) Prickly, pine, lime, and drying, just a few notes more hoppy than their APA. A little thin.
o) All right with me for a mid-pack, solid classic style IPA.
DDH Pixie Dust | Sloop, Elizaville NY
4.19/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Elizaville was were I trained for bike racing while living on Rhinecliff Road before moving to Cupertino.
Now first rate brewer, must get back up to Sloop.
a) light hazed squash color sporting energetic lashing lace head.
s) Abundant and floral, some grass, citrus, pineapple but perfume is most noticeable.
t) Pineapple dominant, with resin, hmp, herbal notes.
f) Thin, chalky, drying. and citric.
O) Over all lovely perfumey DIPA.