New Beer Weekend #13

Suarez Fine Line Kölsch, thanks @EMH73!
4.38/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Thank you EMH73 for this
16 oz can poured into a pint glass

A- A hazy golden straw with a small white wine head.

S- Biscuits, honey, doughy, floral, a little herbal.

T- Sweet bread, some honey, doughy, touch of light fruits, herbal, floral.

M- Smooth, light body, crisp.

O- A very tasty and balanced Kölsch.


Cheers!

 

Mother's Brewing Von Schrag German Chocolate Cake Imperial Oatmeal Stout; 11.2% ABV, Bloody Tasty! 4.14 Overall


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

S: Chocolate, coconut, a little raisin & vanilla once warm

T: Follows the nose, dryness & cola notes, cocoa powder notes as well up front. Some leafy & woody hops sneak in behind milk & dark chocolate, vanilla & coconut, plus dryness as this warms. Finishes with coconut, vanilla, dark chocolate, a little dark cherry & dryness

MF: Smooth carbonation, medium/chewy body. Carbonation builds a little as this warms

Delivers on the advertised flavors without seeming fake or forced, ABV is well hidden

 

Hey man, I appreciate it. Thank you for understanding. I am going to try to do my best, as that's all I can do. I really respect her and she respects me, so that makes this even harder. We're like work partners. It feels good that what I posted resonated with someone... one of the worst feelings is the feeling of being alone, and you've definitely helped me not feel as alone tonight. Cheers.

 

Good evening NBW
First BA review of this one from the latest League of Heroes mixed pack
Revolution Valkyrye-Hero

The review:
12oz can stamped FILLED 09-15-2020 (1 month ago) poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass at fridge temp 6% ABV 30 IBU per carton. The beer pours very hazy in a pineapple juice color with off white head. The head recedes to a thin ring and island. Minimal lacing. The aroma is mild in strength featuring tropical fruit juice and earthy notes. The taste is mildly bitter tropical fruit salad with a touch of rye spice. The mouthfeel is thin to medium bodied with average, yet prickly, carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Overall, ok. I feel like this is a miss that won't wow rye ale fans or haze bros. I expect more from Revolution, honestly.

It seems weird to me that more folks don't review these everyday beers here on BA. The Hero packs offer a great value. I'd never buy anything labeled as hazy normally, but the other three beers in the pack are quite enjoyable. I was hoping for more rye.

Cheers all!

 

Continuing the joyous task of enjoying NBW BIF #12 beers from @Roy_Hobbs, I have a trifecta of titillating treasures today. First up, a brewery that needs to begin distro to Indiana so I can justify to Mrs O the need for a 4th beer fridge.



4.29/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Pours a slightly hazy straw color with the most perfect white head that provides ample lacing, the nose is doughy bread and grass, with some crackery notes as well.

The doughy bread flavors are forward, but they allow room for the grassy flavors to shine, and there’s a subtle sweetness from what is described as honey in the beer’s description, which fits.

The mouthfeel is very crisp, performance the style. Another fantastic lager from a world-class brewery.

 

Whew! That last be hit me hard. Had to take a break for a while, but I finally had a hankerin' for another beer.

Actually, a couple of weeks ago I was wondering something as I perused my store's selections. Yes, it was mostly IPAs and fruited Goses, but there was a good number of lagers and of course (at the time) Oktoberfests.

I did find myself wondering, however, if some other styles might ever see their way to being brewed and distributed by the craft brewers that were on display. Of the styles that came to mind, the basic saison is one that I thought could use a revival. I'm not even a huge saison fan, but I wanted one that day.

Well, I had to wait a week, and lo and behold, Schilling Beer out of NH apparently heard my thoughts and sent their Bos Saison down to my northern Virginia retailer. I've liked their stuff so far, so I bought it along with a roll of tin foil for times I'm not thinking about beer I want. Looking forward to this review...

Poured a little more orange than I expected, though not quite as orange as the photo suggests. The head built up to near half the glass, with bubbles popping away immediately, but not too quickly. A gossamer sheath remained after a while, surrounded by a medium thin, but sticky collar. Lacing was pretty strong up front. The body had a fuzzying haze to it that never completely lifted.

Nose was a nice mix of fruit and pepper - I would personally like a little more pepper to farmhouse to grass and a little less fruit, but this had a blend that was at least agreeable. With a little warmth, an air of dry attic dustiness snuck in, but the pear and nectarine fruit notes kept it light.

First sip had a little more tartness to the fruit notes - more nectarine backed by a watery Asian pear to red delicious apple note. These notes were thankfully joined by hay and light grassy herbal notes, which took over by mid-taste. Biting carbonation mimicked a pepper bite more than the light pepper spice note I got nearer the end of the sip. This beer was pretty dry, and the main after effect was a light numbing from the carbonation.

This pretty much was what I was looking for. The fruit notes share the stage with the farmhouse flavors, and there's nice carbonation with a dry, nicely bitter finish. Consider the spot squarely hit.

Edit: just looked at the tasting notes from the website to add this beer, and it mentions citrus and bubblegum. Maybe my citrus detector is off today, as I didn't get it specifically in this beer like the last. I guess I can see a hint of citrus in with the fruits I noted, but it's obviously not jumping at me.

 

#2, also from Suarez and @Roy_Hobbs, let’s get hoppy!



4.35/5 rDev +3.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

This pours a hazy golden sunshine color with a soapy off-white head. Orange and grapefruit citrus aromas that border on dank, along with a malted grain note. I believe this is the first citrus encounter I’ve had with Suarez, which is very exciting!

The taste is wholly citrus up front, with the orange and grapefruit flavors providing a very flavorful foundation for the malted wheat to truly shine. Wow.

The mouthfeel is fairly dry, lending credence to the crushability of this pale wheat ale.

 

Goose Island Sofie - I'm not a big Saison fan mostly because I just haven't had that many and the few that I have had were enjoyable but didn't wow me. However, as my palate changes over time I am revisiting because something tells me that I am going to start enjoying them more.

This beer is 6.5% and says that it is 90% Belgian Style Ale blended with 10% Belgian Style Ale aged in wine barrels with orange peel. Pours a nice clear light golden color with a generous head. Smell is definitely strong on the wine, which I am enjoying. Taste is wonderful and very smooth and complex, I like this one a lot.

 

I agree with @lordofthewiens. You may want to be helpful but any relationship you have with this woman could be used against her. You should wait out the resolution of the marriage.

 

Cheers Jeff!!!

 

Another new Trillium beer for me this weekend, Fated Farmer: Chardonnay, a barrel fermented wild ale with Chardonnay grapes, 2020 vintage, 7.5% abv.

Notes: "Our Fated Farmer Series is a landmark step toward realizing our foundational vision for Trillium: Build a place that intuitively celebrates the intersection of New England farming, agriculture, brewing, and integrated community experience. The grist of each of the dynamic Fated Farmer wild ales is set on the structure of Valley Malt and is barrel fermented in 500L puncheons with our Native New England Wild Culture and aged for 5-7 months, before refermenting on freshly harvested fruit.

Pouring a soft, pale yellow, the 2020 Vintage of Fated Farmer: Chardonnay offers a bouquet of gooseberry, peach, guava, and a limestone minerality. On the palate, a mild acid profile is complemented by a touch of sweetness. Easy-drinking and gentle, each sip finishes well-rounded and nuanced."




After enjoying the Apricot version yesterday I'm excited to try this now. Pours from the 330ml bottle a semi-translucent, lightly fogged golden straw yellow color with a small creamy frothy white foam head that sticks around with decent retention.

Smells like tart apple cider, dry old world white wine, a hint of toasty bready wheaty malts, oak barrel, funky barnyard, sweet spice, pear, white wine grape, with herbal earthy floral dusty hops. Smells more like an actual white wine, dry apples and pear than grapes specifically.

Tastes very dry and tart upfront, like a crisp crabapple, tart apple cider, dry white wine, some pear, white wine grapes, old world style dry Chardonnay wine like from Italy or perhaps even Burgundy, zesty lemon, refreshing lime citrus notes, mild guava, tropical melon, complex funk, hints of ranchy barnyard hay, straw, sweet spice, oak barrel, subtle vanilla, toasty bready wheaty malts, grape must and stems, with earthy herbal floral dusty hop notes.

Feels quite effervescent, lighter medium bodied, creamy with moderate smooth carbonation, finishing dry and crisp without being harsh.

This is a really great barrel fermented wild ale with Chardonnay grapes. If I was given this blind I might guess this is a natural wine or maybe just an aged white Burgundy wine with funk, or perhaps a crisp Champagne. If I knew it was beer it would be easier to tell this is a white wine hybrid/inspired wild ale with wine grapes, though tart apples wouldn't seem out of place either. This tastes real fresh and natural, not sweet or like juice, not overly fruity and real well balanced with the oaky dry tart wild base beer and funky mixed culture yeast. After taking a few sips the funk really came out in the aroma, reminding me of some funky wine notes I've experienced in French wines, like ranch animals, though I wouldn't quite call this animal or even horse blanket level of funk right now, but it's definitely somewhere around the ranch and barn near the animal stalls. Another interesting and great beer from Trillium. Cheers everyone!

 

Last one, again from our beer nerd friend @Roy_Hobbs, this is a perfect beer for a damp, chilly evening in Northern Indiana.



4.25/5 rDev +3.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pours a clear golden color with a pearl white head that is sticky. Bread and noble hop aromas on the nose per the style, and those notes translate perfectly to the taste - the bread is almost a rye bread, and there’s a touch of toffee as well, along with grassy hop flavors.

The mouthfeel is medium, and lends itself to the “drinkability” of this beer - it’s easy to see yourself sitting in a beer garden, pounding away at this flavorful example of the style. Really well done, IMHO.

 

After that last beast, I needed a change, and so grabbed the last from the LIF box I got from @Roguer during NBS BIF #12: Cigar City Margarita Gose. Nice, crisp, tart, perfect for our long departed summer, and a nice change-up from my last brew.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/17981/114685/?ba=beertunes#review

 

As the resident pimp/playa/hustler on this forum their advice is dead on. In my younger days I messed around with a few married women, and in one case it led to a long-term relationship, and every single one ended the same way: badly for me. Just step aside and let her sort this out for herself. At the very least she will use you as a jump off to make herself feel better and will use you as ammunition against her husband. At most she will use you to get out of her situation and eventually you'll be left holding the bag when she finds the next flavor of the minute. If you could keep it strictly physical it may not be as bad (moral argument aside) but it's clear that you have feelings for her and that's too dangerous under the circumstances.

It's a big world, tons of women out there with no strings attached.

 

This beer comes courtesy of @beertunes and a LIF from the ongoing NBS BIF. I see Georgetown's Bodhizafa checked in a lot on here, so I was excited to try it for myself. It pours a uniform soft straw haze with a brilliant one inch white head. The aroma was all pineapple and citrus. Flavor followed the nose with a good deal of bright citrus up front, but with a restrained bitter finish. This is a recipe for very high drinkability to me. A soft mouthfeel and moderate carbonation kept the palate wanting more. A high quality IPA indeed. Thanks, Terry!

4.16/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

 

Good evening NBW
Crunkle Sam 2020 is next on the list

The review:
19.2oz can with an illegible date, obviously 2020, poured into a snifter at fridge temp 10% ABV. The beer pours bright, darker amber with sticky khaki colored head. The head recedes to a thin ring and splotchy islands leaving a pretty complete lacing. The aroma is mild with caramel, pine and oak. The taste is semisweet caramel with moderate bitterness and notes of oak, weak bourbon and piney, earthy hops. The mouthfeel is medium plus bodied with just less than medium carbonation and a semi dry finish. Overall, good. Less bitterness & less bourbon than I expected. Value is still a big question with these cans retailing for $10 locally.

Obviously, my palate is done for today and I may be as well. Cheers all!

 

I love Bodhi and I drink a lot of it. Cheers!

 

I can see why. This is the type of beer I could see ending all of my beer nights easily.

 

Well played, Terry @beertunes !!!