New Beer Sunday (Week 789)

Celebrating New Beer Sunday and Idaho Craft Beer Month with this latest release from Barbarian, Puppers Pale Ale. Milky, hazy yellow pour, small soft head. Light juicy, fruity aroma, a bit of grapefruit, a bit of mango. Taste comes in with a creamy body, offering a bit more zing from the citrus. Overall, this pretty subdued, and at 4.1%, definigely sessionable. Finishes dry and leaves a small tingle on the palate.

 

Good to hear your voice.

 

Evening NBS and BIF#11 Reveal People. Hope everyone is cozy and enjoying their quarantine time. I will say there aren't many positives but one has to be the availability of so many new beers in these parts. I mean we were never weak in that respect in the NE area but now here we are. This happens to be one of those breweries you never see in distro, but what seems like a spring cleaning can surely be rewarding..
Trillium X Carton Brimming Bin, American Wild Ale Aged on Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc.
Pours a slightly hazy clear golden yellow with what starts to be a two finger head quickly receding to no head and no lacing. There is a steady stream of bubbles.
The aroma is hay, fresh cut grass, lemon, pear, floral and herbal notes, doughy, funky white grape.
Taste is pear, lemon, peach, gooseberry, lots of white wine grape notes, and yeasty, earthy funk.
Really tasty but I have to admit its very comparable to drinking a glass of champagne. And I am not adverse to that.
Feel is crisp, slightly tart, tiny bubble carb, pretty dry wine like finish. 10.9% doesn't really show in the mouth but you can feel a slight burn going down initially.
Happy New Year!! Couldn't resist. When I read the label I knew I would like this one and Its a nice change of pace and definitely out of the box for Trillium, at least. The only thing that would have sent this to the next level for me is a little oak.....but than we are in buttery California Chardonnay territory. A have an affinity for wine barrel aged brews but like the red wine
version much of the time. $7.49/11.2 oz. a little pricey but if you see it and are into these types grab it. Well worth it. I will probably grab another if I see it.
Got some more for later. Cheers!

 

That's a spot on review. I'm glad you liked it. Also, did you take that photo, too? I really liked your first photo, too. I used to do a lot of photography with an old school SLR, but never got into anything digital. I was learning right as digital was starting to kill of film, but wasn't prevalent enough to take many in depth classes.

PS - I think that Space Cactus is the best IPA that Grist House makes. A lot of people would say the Hazedelic, but I think Space Cactus just has better flavor, balance, and feel.

 

On NBS BIF #11 reveal date, I’m going to dive into the 2nd mystery beer I received from my magnificent sender @Roguer, but first a brief tribute to our wonderful beer nerd friend @beertunes, who came up with the idea for the NBS BIF and has lead it since it’s inception through the current Round 11 (there are two per year, one in the spring, one in the fall, plus one-offs like the 2018 Holiday Extravaganza).

These BIF’s are SOOOOOO much fun for the participants, but the planning requires a LOT of work, coordinating the pairings and communicating the requirements, as well as keeping the herd in line, i.e., participating in the “Hints & Hauls” and generally not being a dink.

Terry has done this and more in the nearly 4 years I’ve participated, and he’s always done it cheerfully. I raise my glass tonight to him (glassware courtesy of @beerloserLI!).

On to tonight’s mystery beer from the 3 boxes (yes 3!!!!!) that @Roguer sent my way.

First thing that I note - this beer is from Aardwolf Brewing Company .....



I know - I’m like a beer detective.

On to the bottle and artwork .....





First - we need an award for “Contributions to Artistry” in these BIF’s, because @Roguer did yeoman’s work crafting these mystery beer labels - and did me a solid with the alert to the 10.6% ABV. So we’re clearly in “imperial something” land.

As I said, I’m a beer detective - don’t try this at home, kids. On to the pour .....



I’m thinking this is not a DIPA. Onyx black body with a dense tan head and no leakage on the edges after an aggressive pour, this is screaming imperial stout.

The nose is some char and a LOT of rich milk chocolate, no discernible barrel notes - but some ripe fruit notes - dare I say stone fruit?

I dare. There’s fruit in this, probably dark cherries.

The char and milk chocolate are forward on the taste, but I’m definitely picking up slightly tart cherry flavors, especially as this warms on a gorgeous spring evening in Northern Indiana.

The mouthfeel is full, rich, and creamy, commensurate with the style. This is a great dessert beer - a grownup’s chocolate covered cherries, if you will. I have this in the 4.50 range. Absolutely love it.

Now for the reveal (this is literally live at 7:04 pm Eastern time) .....



I got ZERO coconut in this - none. I see the coffee beans (part of the char), I get the vanilla and lactose as part of the rich milk chocolate, but I would’ve sworn this had cherries. Ah, even the beer detective can venture slightly off course. Still love it.

 

Wow, that is a beautiful view!!!

 

Totally agree! This is the first beer I've written Fremont regarding as I felt it was the best IPA they've produced since they opened. No strange gimics or special ingredients here.
This beer is the result of true balance and execution - incredibly and dangerously crushable!

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/20680/473627/?ba=Oh_Dark_Star#review

image url

 

Beer number 3 from @beertunes, Skookum Murder of Crows. This is a great stout, thanks @beertunes!

4.38/5 rDev +10.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Thank you beertunes for this
12 oz bottle poured into a teku

A- Black with a three finger mocha head.

S- Dark chocolate, roasted malts, a little smoky, oak, some caramel.

T- Roasted malts, dark chocolate, oak, some coffee, touch of caramel, a little earthy, some smoke.

M- Smooth, medium to full body.

O- A very well brewed and balanced stout, very easy to drink.

Cheers!

 

So good I had another. Too bad I split that four pack with a friend!

In other news I'm putting some aquarium plants out in my shed while I re-aquascape my aquarium. I've had these two Anubias since 2007 believe it or not! The benefit of rhizome plants for sure! and I may finally sell them off to a new home.

 

I went to a wedding last fall in Waterbury, VT and the guys from Lost Nation were there with all kinds of unlabelled bottles. This could have been one of those bottles. Since I'm not 100% sure, I'm calling it a new-to-me beer!



375 ml. bottle.
Gentle to moderate pour yields a two inch white head over a hazy light golden body with some sticky lacing. (Caution: slow eruption up the neck of the bottle after pouring. Solution: pour into a bigger glass!) Nose of funk, peaches, and slight citrus. Taste mirrors nose nicely with the slightest sweetness giving way to a finish of tart peaches. Very nice feel and overall, a very pleasant experience and great job on a fruited farmhouse ale from our friends just up the road in Morrisville, VT. I recommend highly and would definitely have again. Cheers!

 

Yeah, that's a tough view to beat.

 

#2, courtesy of @TongoRad (and he didn’t even participate in this BIF round - that’s how hardcore he is), and glassware courtesy of @beertunes.





4.17/5 rDev +9.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Beautiful caramel color with some haze and an off-white head. Beautiful beer. Caramalt aromas on the nose, and noble hops as an accompaniment. Spot on to the style.

The caramalt flavors lead on the taste, but it is the noble hop flavors that elevate this - just an excellent representation of the style.

If I lived around Von Trapp, this would be in my glass at least once a week. Wonderful beer, IMHO.

 

Whoa, @kemoarps! Shaming us all with that one! That's a deep cellar gift!

 

Thanks for the kind words. I did take that photo. I was having a virtual 'create' session with someone. She was painting and I was coloring/taking photos/editing photos - all things I've been putting off lately. I've been very hasty with my photos recently (i.e. let's snap this photo so I can drink!), but she inspired me to take a little bit of time. It's not always fun cleaning coffee beans off your bedroom floor, although I've found the effort is usually worth it.

I wish I had learned on film. I'm a proud of the digital age. Both of my brothers shoot film, as does my dad.

Space Cactus was a delight. Not only is the label beautiful and I happened to have a cactus for that shot, but the beer itself was miraculously well balanced. I appreciate you for sharing it with me!

 

Participating in my first NBS BIF and I received an amazing selection of beers from @thebeers ! This has been so much fun, and I'm definitely coming back for more next time you all do this. Here's a pic of the haul:



And now onto my mystery beer:



No hints on the 12 oz can, pulled it out of a 45 deg fridge, poured into a Tired Hands teku.

Pale golden with a tiny bit of haze, frothy white head that quickly dissipated.

Aroma is distinctly sour and fruity... hrrrrm. Not what I was expecting. Bit funky at first whiff, but its settled down to just being sour citrus.

Taste is a light tangy citrus... lemon lime? Not a lot going on, maybe a bit of oak. The lemon lime lingers.

Feel was effervescent at first, but now it's just light. A bit dry on the finish, nicely refreshing.

Guesses: a light sour would lead me to a berliner?

Turns out its a gose! I don't know that I got a really salty taste? To be fair, I did just eat a plate of bacon and eggs, so I may have been a bit salted out. Definitely refreshing, and would have been great on a typical sunny California day, but we're having a rainy weekend soooo...



I definitely didn't get anything that was remotely like tequila, unless it was that hint of oakiness. I would never have guessed this was tequila barrel aged (is it? Or are they just claiming thats the flavor they were going for?). Just a refreshing lime sour.

Really enjoyed doing this blind tasting thing, as it made me approach drinking this beer in a way I rarely do. Thanks again to @thebeers for his generosity and to @beertunes for organizing the BIF. Its been a real weird month, and I've enjoyed reading the BIF thread in the midst of all this craziness. Stay safe, beer friends.

 

Well said about @beertunes . Its alot of work and he makes it easy for thw gang.