New Beer Sunday (Week 790)

Chiming in with my mystery beer from @Pinz412 !



Look: Pours a dull-hue of peach-straw with a foggy, frosty appearance to the transparency. Head foams up well, netting out two and a half fingers of snow-white foam after a modest ~12oz pour. Head retention is good.

Looks like a saison? Farmhouse? Let's get into the aroma.

Aroma: Notes of cellar floor, earthy malt, lemon zest and herbal and medicinal hops conclude with a lightly dry finish. Whole profile is very tame and well controlled.

More firmly leaning towards a farmhouse, although there is a note I can't quite place here - perhaps a flavor addition?

Flavor: Little peachy flesh right up front that carries through the entire flavor profile. Besides peach and apricot are notes of lemon zest, cellar floor, earthy malts, lightly medicinal hops and grapefruit. It leans ever so slightly sweet at the start (scale of 1-10, 10 being the most - a 5.5) and then gets slightly sweeter towards the finish (same scale, 6). Balance is good, smoothing transitioning from note to note.

Farmhouse ale, but with fresh peaches added - that's what I'm thinking.

Feel: Soft effervescence that produces a very mild initial crispness. There is a slight expansion of effervescence on the tongue, developing a fuzzy texture in the middle, before it stills out at the end. Fuzzy texture is akin to the fuzz on peach skin, not much just a little additional texture.

Same guess as above, farmhouse with additions of peach.

Overall: Balance is good, smoothing together the notes from sip to finish. It's mild in flavor and yet contains a complex depth that keeps each sip interesting and engaging.

Score: 4.25 | 4 | 4.25 | 4.25 | 4.25

Big reveal:



Cinderlands Beer Company's Solving for Pattern.

From the label: "[...] was brewed with pilsner and spelt malt and fermented with Brettanomyces clausenii and a blend of American and European saison strains before a thoughtful dry-hopping with Motueka and an extended bottle conditioning."

That Motueka dry-hopping would explain the light tropical fruit, peach notes I was picking up.

My BA Score: 4.19 | rDev: +8.8%

Lovely brew. Thanks for sharing! Walt, however, did not get to share my buffalo tuna mac & cheese, and that upset him a great deal.



Cheers!

 

It's been snowing consistently since this morning. Even this late in the year, the snow fall is heavy enough it is forcing its will upon the ground, and we're going to end up with several inches of accumulation. So, I decided this was a good afternoon to pull a local beer out of the cellar. I'll be spending the rest of the afternoon with this one, I expect.

Surly Brewing BA Darkness 2019
ABV: 12.0%



This is the 2019 release (last spring), aged in rye whiskey barrels.

Aroma is relatively strong: whiskey, coffee, dark fruits, hints of chocolate. Very nice.

Deep dark and black topped by hardly any head at all; just a bubbly cap that rapidly becomes an island of thin bubbles in the center of a black sea. Very little lacing - three or four small islets where you tipped the glass up. A very good look for this style.

Thick mouth feel, no carbonation, lots of alcohol heat.

At the forefront of the flavor are the dark fruits, followed quickly by whiskey and alcohol. The dark malt flavors of coffee and chocolate start emerging in the middle and carry on into the finish. The aftertaste picks up a bit of bitterness. Throughout, however, the overbearing aspect of the flavor is the strong heat from the alcohol. It dominates everything else.

Overall, this would be a superb BA stout. Would be, except that it is far too hot. The strong alcohol heat significantly takes away from the underlying excellence.

L: 4.25 | S: 4.5 | T: 4.0 | F: 4.5 | O: 4.0 | Rating: 4.19

 

Happy Easter to all who celebrate. Despite several weeks of getting used to Church services via Facebook, this morning certainly felt unusual. It's a lovely Spring day here in North Jersey. We took the dog for a long walk around town and encountered a huge number of fellow pedestrians. Everyone has become highly adept at avoiding getting too close.

Today's first new beer comes from @FBarber's return fire box. Liberty Sandwich from 4 Hands Brewing in St. Louis. I've been fortunate to receive several beers from this brewery in BIFs and trades and I think very highly of it. This is a barrel-aged Stout that tastes like a Fluffernutter: lots of marshmallow and peanut. The brewery did a nice job with the adjuncts but where it really shines is the delicate bourbon notes. You can taste it but it isn't overpowering. In fact, this is a very subtle - and tasty - Stout. Thank you , Frank. I really appreciate it. Here's my full review:

4.31/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

I received a 22 oz. bottle from @FBarber. No discernible bottling date. Poured into a snifter. It pours a dark walnut with some cola hues and a thin, light mocha cap that dissipated rapidly laving a thin film of lacing. The smell is quite fragrant and features roasted malt, peanuts, vanilla, and subtle but definite bourbon. There are also notes of earthy char and tobacco. The taste opens with lots of marshmallow sweetness, along with peanut butter, roasted malt, and delicate bourbon. It has a distinctive Fluffernutter flavor. The mouth feel is medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, and it drinks very easily for the 10% ABV. Overall, I've never tasted a Stout quite like Liberty Sandwich. It certainly achieves its desired effect. What I really like is how mellow the barrel notes are; you can taste the bourbon but it doesn't distract from the other adjuncts.

I hope all my fellow NBSers are well today and enjoying your new beers. After this Stout, I think a new IPA may be next. Cheers!

 

Part of my recent TBBW trade with @scream ... Central Water’s “Twenty.Two”, a BBA Imperial Stout, that he sourced at the brewery earlier this year:




At 51 degrees pours inky black with grey/ruby/cola edges; quick dark tan head; poor cap retention, thin ring; medium heavy legs and small soapy lacing with swirl; the second pour at 56 degrees provides a head that is a bit larger and the cap lingers a bit, leaving a few islands of micro dots floating on the surface and an almost solid ring; medium heavy legs and better (still soapy) lace on swirl. Nose is bourbon, chocolate and raisins; boozy exhale; more phenols as it warms; second pour has more chocolate; still boozy. Taste follows nose on both pours - bourbon, chocolate and dark fruits; oak, vanilla and cocoa nibs; bittersweet dark chocolate; semi sweet chocolate malt base; phenolic finish; second (warmer) pour is slightly more Chocolatey and the dark fruits - raisins and plums, emerge; still has a boozy finish. Medium body, light carbonation; warmth from 13.3% abv; dry barrel tannic tongue coating; increasing heat in mouth; no difference in second pour. Overall the bourbon/barrel notes dominated the whole; it feels/drinks “hot”; I wish I had a second one to age as I believe a bit of time will mellow the alcohol presence; still, I personally like boozy stouts, and I like this beer - it has a bit more body, I think, than many of CW’s Brewer’s Reserve series BA stouts; as always, it’s not adjuncty, and there is enough roast, bitter, bourbon and chocolate flavors to make the whole delicious...I enjoyed, and would highly recommend.

Score: 4.35
rDev: +2.4%

 

Antidoot L‘Ambigu (Cabernet Jura)


Pours purple-ember in color, with a noisy pinkish head, which immediately vanishes.


Smells of a lighter, leathery tartness, together with fermented grape skins and toasty fruit piths among a sweeter, well developed fruitiness.


Has a lighter to medium body to it, featuring a refreshing carbonation, while the beer maintains a certain softness.


Tastes of an unforseen red grape complexity, featuring a moldy aspect, reminiscent of fermented, matured grapes, which goes very well with the leathery tartness of the beer. There is an almost smoky pith quality in here as well, which is getting amped up by a sweet, yet not yammy berry rich- and sweetness, powerful and pungent, while the other flavors are still able to add in, creating a very well balanced, complex drinking beer. This finishes almost slightly bitter, resulting from the mashed grapes in this, gently balanced by an ongoing fruit sweetness, wrapped up by a light and pleasant tartness, leading to a long going, versatile aftertaste.


Is this still beer, or is it wine? I don‘t know, but this tastes great, exhibiting a perfect marriage between a great beer and a very tasty wine. This is more intense than any Cantillon grape Lambic I‘ve had so far, with a fantastic balance and funk backbone to it, creating a truly complex and delicious beer.

 

Glad you liked it sir! I also felt it had more body than their other BA Stouts

 

And, unfortunately, they virtually disappear.

 

Rogue Cherry Choctabulous, 8.4% ABV, 3.94 overall, good beer for the $


Pours an effervescent ebony with a thumb+ of mocha colored head. Good lacing & below average head retention

S: Some cherry & cocoa

T: Rich cherry cordial flavor, chocolate and little vanilla up front. Dryness, cherry & chocolate as this warms, some leafy hops as well. Finishes a little dry with a little fig, sweet cherry & a little milk chocolate

MF: Medium body & restrained carbonation

Delivers on the promised flavors in such a way as to make you want more, not cloying, but guessing as to what the hell they were shooting for. Well done, Rogue

 

3 Sheeps Pendulum American IPA

4.07/5 rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

The only place this fell down at all was that I felt that the aroma was a bit less than it could be. Taste and mouthfeel were right where I would want them to be. Solid beer for sure

 

Thanks for your reply. Based on The Beer Temple's instagram update, they indicated the beer was three weeks old. Not sure if that meant the unopened boxes or not. I didn't have any issues with the freshness, thought it was a solid pour, though there are local fresher less expensive alternatives I prefer. Looking forward to the rest of the six pack.

Still hanging on to your Keeping Together Architects of Harmony bottle? I'm heading back to Half Acre to grab a few more tomorrow or Tuesday.

For my second and final New Beer Sunday pour, I pulled the highly anticipated, but sadly disappointing Bitburger Triple Hop'd Lager, Bitburger Sierra Nevada Collaboration.



$10.99 plus tax six pack, 11.2 oz cans canned 1/8/20 @ 18:12, best by 1/7/21, poured into pint glass.

Appearance: Slightly murky golden pour, light carbonation and white head leaves nominal lacing. 3.25

Aroma: Faint bread and pepper aroma. 2.75

Taste: Bland malt bread taste, hops back, slightly dry and bitter. 2.5

Mouthfeel: Persistent fizzy carbonation throughout the pour, light body, dryness lingers afterward. 2.75

Overall: Disappointing pour. Purchased as fresh as possible, much preferred their Oktoberfest collaboration. 2.75

I don't want to end the day on this note, and will grab a solid (but not new) pour to end Easter Sunday. Many great reviews so far today, @GreenBayBA 's Central Waters Twenty Two Year Anniversary (not sure if I can still get a hold of this one) and @FBarber 's gift to @MacMalt 's 4 Hands Liberty Sandwich being the two most intriguing considerations today, looking forward to more before the day is over.

 

Lupulin Citridiculous DIPA, 8% ABV. Pours cloudy yellow with a 3-finger white head that left some lacing. Nose is orange, tangerine, zest, vanilla, and slight pine. Taste is sweet orange/tangerine, sweet melon, slight piney hops, but quite malty. Smooth mouthfeel, overall outstanding. Another outstanding DIPA from Lupulin.

4.33/5 rDev +4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Well that's the last damn time I'm shoveling this year, 5" of real wet heavy stuff. Looking forward to some BBQ pork in the crockpot, new recipe with bourbon, garlic, cumin, pepper, salt, random BBQ sauce, and brown sugar.

 

Happy Easter BA’s peace and health to all
This one was new to me


Poured from a can dated 3/23/20 8%abv
Thick murky yellow orange appearance much like grapefruit juice
Thin white quickly dissipating head some legging
Aroma of mango and citrus and a grassy note
Taste follows nose
Mouthfeel is smooth and lightly carbonated. For such a thick looking beer it drinks fairly light. Slight resinous bite in the finish
Overall it’s a well balanced beer and it drinks very easily for a DIPA

 

Happy Easter!
Happy New American Impy IPA Sunday!

Pretty nice day here on the Western Slope, sunny, breezy, around 57 at the trailhead. Having a very tasty brew, nice take on the style, nice little sweetness. Made some chili, watching some Andy Griffith. Might be back with another.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/147/469745/?ba=Wasatch#review

Cheers!

 

Please see @DoctorZombies' review of this beer. He typed the words that my mind processed, but failed to transcribe so eloquently.

 

Ha! That's sort of the point I was trying to make with my first post. For me, on that day, when I wanted a lighter, more easy-to-drink beer, I did not get that. I got a bolder, heavier-than-expected beer that around 2/3 of the way through, I wished I had another option.

It's quite possible that another day it might not have the same effect. It's piqued my curiosity enough that I might grab another bottle next time I'm out west and revisit my original review.

---

Ok, as a little project, I am going to see if I can tell Aslin beers apart from each other. The GF has been supporting local by ordering delivery from the brewery every week and a half or so. This latest batch included three beers I've had before and one I have not that all sat in the 5.x - 6.x% ABV range.

Aslin is one of those breweries that has a rotating set of beers, but is constantly coming up with new releases. The two new beers I had not heard of before, though they might not be new releases (I will check after this post if/when they were added to BA).

Only the GF knows which glass holds which. She poured a second batch into similar glasses, but switched up which beer was in which. Or did she?
Here is round #1:


Luckily, the beers all look more or less the same. One of the problems that I could've run into is that one or more stood out on look. Lost Rhino and Flying Dog glasses seem to have a little more lacing, and Jack's Abbey seems to have wekest collar, but there is so little difference.

Old Ox glass: smell is fairly tropical but with a little herbal aspect. Taste is a bit more grainy with an herbal bitterness in back. Little light, mix of smooth edges around moderate effervescence.

Jack's Abbey glasserfumey smell that turns into vanilla in the taste. One of the beers has vanilla and rosemary, and I couldn't recall how powerful they were. Well, this one is Bringo, and it is an obvious enough anomaly to not be useful in the experiment. More on this below**

Lost Rhino glass:little malty sweetness, maybe a hint of candied citrus, but pretty bland nose. Taste is a more clean malt opening backed by grapefruit pith and a bit of tangerine juice and peel in back. Feel is similarly light, like the Old Ox glass, but a little smoother overall.

Flying Dog glass: nose is similar to the Lost Rhino, but maybe even more grain driven and perhaps with a hint of green grass and/or pine. Taste starts with a little grapefruit juice, back by an oat and herb bitterness. A little more citrus that the Old Ox glass, little less than the Lost Rhino glass.

Okay, after that round, having the three useful beers side-by-side didn't make me confident I'd be able to match up the second batch. I'm going to try to not refer back to the notes above, come up with new notes, and then compare after the fact. Not sure if it'll work, but let's see. Here's round #2:


Ok, first to rule out the Bringo... the Old Ox glass.
Lost Rhino glass: lightly sweet nose, smooth malty opening, little grapefruit with pith in back. Fairly light towards watery.

Flying Dog glass: grapefruit with pith nose, grainy opening with grapefruit, tangerine in back. Little raw oat feel.

plain snifter: grainy nose, perhaps a little herbal note. Watered down juicy opening with a grassy/herbal back end.

Ok, what are my pair guesses based on this?
Old Ox with plain snifter
Lost Rhino with Flying Dog
Flying Dog with Lost Rhino

Before I reveal, I must admit that I also felt like going with Lost Rhino and Flying dog being the same both times. I don't put it past the GF to do this, but it made me sip a little more after looking at what the notes tended to indicate. This fact is telling in and of itself.

My score? 33% (50% if we count Bringo ) Oh, well.
Old Ox == Lost Rhino == Trite (rated 3.6 in 2018)
Flying Dog == plain snifter == Nuances of Meaning (rated 4.12 in 2017 - will have to revisit)
Lost Rhino == Flying Dog == One Star (will review a full can, but I'm thinking 3.75ish)

~ Fin ~

Appendix A
One thing I though of too late, I didn't "roll" the cans - and Aslin beers have a lot of sediment that might hold some flavors that lacked with more careful short pours.

Appendix B
**On one of or first sets of visits to Aslin, they had a vanilla and rosemary beer, I think called New Revolution. Bringo was a later release that had the same ingredients, but a different name (maybe due to naming conflicts). I recall thinking then that IPAs and vanilla do not belong together (reinforced today). However, looking at my reviews, I liked Bringo "fresh" as the rosemary herbal notes drove the beer more than the vanilla. It seems like they reverted back towards the more disliked New Revolution.

 

Fremont Brewing's Space Danger! Another excellent West Coast IPA from my friend @woemad's BIF box. I question whether the BAs in the Pacific Northwest have done it equity with their ratings. This is really good! Tart lemon and grapefruit with just enough pineapple and lots of hop bitterness. Thanks, Fred. Don't worry about sending West Coast IPAs. I can't get enough of them. Here's my full review:

4.17/5 rDev +5.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Received from @woemad in a BIF. Reviewed slightly more than 4 weeks after canning. Poured from 12 oz. can into a Spiegelau IPA glass. It pours a bright, golden orange with a large, fluffy, bright white had and lots of soapy lacing. The nose is aromatic and features lots of lemon peel, grapefruit, and pine needles, along with floral hops. The taste opens with lots of dank, tart citrus, including lemon peel and grapefruit rind. But there's also fruity sweetness - orange/tangerine and perhaps a hint of pineapple. As the glass warms a bit you can detect the influence of the Sabro hops. The Simcoe and Centennial hops add lots of bitterness. I'm not surprised to see it's 61 IBU. This ale is lite and crisp with lively carbonation. And the 7% ABV seems just right. It has substance but damn is it drinkable. I have to say I'm surprised by the BA rating. This is a great West Coast IPA and I'm grateful for the chance to enjoy it!

 

Good Easter Evening NBS and thanks @superspak for the kick off today, Keeping in the mindset that @JackHorzempa we are sending our $ to the locals for certain. Leading into todays offering from the talented team at Honest Weight, in Orange MA. About 20 minutes from us.The mixed culture offering incorporates honey and Sumac a lovely offering with excellent balance.
Spent todays home bound energy brewing a Pliny clone. Time well spent indeed.
Now its up to the bugs.
Cheers all

Time Well Spent

Honest Weight Artisan Beer
American Wild Ale | 6.5% ABV

4.04/5 rDev +0.7% | Average: 4.01
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Poured from a 375ml bottle labelled, "brewed 8/10/18, bottled 9/9/2019" into the test glass
A - Summer straw color, exceptional clarity, Gentle but determined carbonation is frankly a bit hypnotic. There is a quick to exit light snow white ring.
S - Honey forward, then clearly the sumac walks in the room, Earthy, some floral elements include autumn on the horizon, clove, light oak, a hint of smolder, not smoke. Mixed culture adds to the spice notes.
T - Certainly honey forward, those great honeydrop candies from France, sweet malt, lemongrass, earthy element from the sumac I'm sure
M - A touch slick, medium in body, carbonation cant fight this depth, linger is sweet and again honey driven. Nothing unpleasant.
O - A very good mixed culture, barrel fermented offering. With some time I would hope for more of a tart thread, but this sweet space the offering is in now, is quite good

 

Really glad to hear you dug it! That beer was released at the same time as one of the beers that I reviewed today, Desert Solitaire. As far as I can tell they're very close to the same beer, but Desert Solitaire doesn't receive that dry hopping of Motueka, and suffers for it. It's amazing to me what that dry hopping does for Solving For Pattern. I also would have thought there had been a fruit addition somewhere along the way. I really hope Cinderlands continues to release these bottle conditioned saison as I've enjoyed both.