New Beer Weekend #20

One of the stores I go to got a nice new variety of czech beers in this was one of them...another one to come later.



This may actually be the first czech dark lager I’ve had that’s actually from there. I’ve only had domestic versions. This one was pretty tasty.

Pours a very dark brown, if held up to bright light you can see crystal clear dark brown. The head left pretty quick but a thin layer of creamy carbonation has remained halfway through the glass. There is also some decent lacing on the top half of the glass.

Immediately smell chocolate, like a lighter creamier chocolate not a strong bitter dark chocolate. It also has a toasted bread smell to it too along something reminiscent of cola.

The tastes is mostly the same creamy chocolate that is very prominent in the aroma. There is also a very subtle pleasant roasty flavor. There is also just the smallest touch of something fruity, I don’t even think I can put a name on it but I’ll try...It’s almost like the sweetness of a red apple that has zero sour/tart to it.

Mouthfeel is medium and very smooth and creamy. Very clean finish despite a moderate sweetness, it vanishes very quickly after the sip goes down.

I am really enjoying this beer a lot and it is a bargain, 2$ a 500ml bottle, an 8$ four pack, though not sold as such. My favorite thing is the smooth chocolate note I keep tasting and smelling. It’s so prominent I think some people would be convince this had chocolate in it. The sweetness combined with how smooth and clean it is also is a very nice characteristic of this beer. Glad I grabbed some and plan to grab more over the coming months.

 

Does that beer have a bottling date (this is easy to understand) on it?

Cheers!

 

It did not but at 2$ I wasnt really worried. However I reached out to them via email and they got back immediately, this one is best by 3/2021.

Not sure what shelf life they give it, nonetheless really enjoyed this one. The other czech beer coming today was bottle in late September, not something you see everyday in freshness for imports. I’ll post later today on that one.

 

In all probability that beer was bottled in March 2020.

It has been my experience, via my homebrewing practice, that Czech Dark Lagers hold up well with age; the dark malts are antioxidants. I had a homebrewed Czech Dark Lager a couple of days ago and that beer drank very nicely even though it was bottled on 2/7/20. In contrast my experience with Pale Lagers (e.g., Bohemian Pilsner) is that those beers are best consumed very fresh. I brew an annual batch of Bohemian Pilsner (my most recent batch was bottled 2/25/20) and I make sure to drink those beers quickly. My last bottle of my Bohemian Pilsner was consumed last September sometime and while I enjoyed that last bottle it was notably different from beers I drank in the spring/early summer.

Cheers!

 

I was originally planning to spend part of today either a) going with the family to a cut your own Christmas Tree farm or b) making the 2 hour drive to Suarez to pick up some beer. Given that it's heavy rain / snow all day today, both of those options are fairly terrible. The good news is that it's perfect weather to bunker down inside and enjoy a few beers (definitely good stout weather). First up is The Fourth Wall from Bottle Logic sent to me by @FBarber a few months ago. I think this might be my first Botte Logic beer. Let's see what the verdict is...

4.24/5 rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Jet black with an inch and a half of coffee ice cream colored head that hung around for a bit, but not terribly long. Thin ring of lacing left behind. Aroma is chocolate and lactose, and certainly smells quite decadent. Taste is really interesting. First thing to hit the tongue are roasted malts, but other flavors definitely follow throughout the long finish. The coconut and almond give a distinct Almond Joy vibe to this, which is something I would not normally gravitate to in a beer, but with this one, it works. It's definitely sweet, and I probably would have preferred a 12 oz. format vs. 16, but overall this is an enjoyable stout. You could also get in trouble fairly quickly with this one, as it certainly doesn't reveal the 10% ABV at all.

Thanks, Frank for sending this my way.

 

Springdale mocha stout
..solid black appearance
..light carbonation with an above average body. Has a nice slick, creamy thick feel to it
..aroma is fresh roasted coffee beans,milk and dark chocolate, some char and roasted malts.
..taste didnt stray too far from the aroma with every pleasant aspect of coffee being in the forefront. Some chocolate, char, and roasted malt shows up as well.
..overall this is an excellent well done coffee stout. Really flavorful with a really pleasing body

 

I get more spicy hop notes than you indicated, but agree with how good it is. Excellent, even. I'd happily get a keg if I could

The TV series is incredible, fwiw.

Whoa, right up my alley! Imma gonna have to keep an eye peeled.

My mise en place is looking similar to yours. Well, the potatoes and olive oil, really. I'm making a potato galette served with a bagna cauda. At the moment I'm unsure if also adding sour cream and roe would be too much of a good thing.

 

First time on this thread for me. My apologies if this brew doesn’t hit the target, but it’s new to me.

12 oz can, pours a cloudy burnt orange with a soapy white head.

Nose is citrus rind with a floral, piney hop presence. Not much else detected.

Taste begins with a very mild toasted malt presence, then the hop flavors take over. Citrus and pine notes are prominent. Moderate carbonation helps it stay somewhat clean on the palate and easy to drink. It toes the line of IPA, just enough malt to keep it reigned in.

Overall, a nice weekend beer, perfect for sipping and working outside (I’m hanging Christmas lights).

I enjoy this one mainly because of the fresh pine / spruce notes. Those flavors don’t show up in beers currently as much as they did 10 or so years ago. It was a nice surprise.

Looking forward to trying more from them.

Cheers all!

 

Second blind from @TheGent. This one “less strong”. After the first one, I’m very suspicious. Poured at fridge temp, the aroma is big malt with some old school C-hops underneath. There’s also something else in the background that I can’t quite put my finger on. Definitely a sweet aspect to this. Taste is the same. Big time malts up front, followed by some old school hops, with a sweet finish. There’s still something in the background that I can quite pin down @while cold. Mouthfeel is lighter than medium and kinda prickly. Overall I don’t love it. Don’t hate it but probably wouldn’t seek out. Gonna give it a little while and update maybe when warmer.
As it warms the sweetness becomes more prevalent and it’s not flattering to the beer as a whole


Tell a guy you don’t like pumpkin beers and this is what you get.... thanks Anthony but the first one was more to my liking

 

Been absent from the site for a while. I love that this is a weekend thread instead of a Sunday only event. I always work Sunday night so I was not able to participate.



Bourbon barrel aged stout with coffee, cacao, and vanilla.

Pours black with a thin tan head. Smells of vanilla, milk chocolate, and bourbon. Taste is roasty and bittersweet with a medium mouthfeel. Good but a long way to go if it is going to compete with Willettized, Bourbon County, or KBS variants. Still glad I picked one up.

 

Popfuji
Has a thin body but goes the other direction when it comes to carbonation.
Aroma is citrus,grapefruit peel,earthy hops, mild sour dough bread
Taste is mildly sweet with bitter citrus fruit and peel dominating. Similar to aroma theres some sour dough grainy bread as well
tiny image host

 

No apologies necessary. I enjoyed your review.

 

Mux Melon from Rake Beer Project and sent to me by a candyman

color is as seen in the photo with minimal bone white head which doesn’t last long. Aroma is funk, funky funk, funk. Muted melon plays in the background. Sour up front, delicate melon flavors in the middle with some sour flavors bringing up the back end. Mouthfeel is light and prickly. Overall I like it. Great stuff from a brewery I’ve come to love.

 

Now that the power tools portion of my lazy Saturday afternoon project is over I think I'll take a little beer break. This one comes to me thanks to @2beerdogs :

Picture if You Will, a bourbon barrel strong ale by Bottle Logic

Now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout! As a lover of big elaborate pumpkin beers, this stuff is right up my alley. Pumpkin spices come on strong for sure, but also at the right level and never become obnoxious. Vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, clove- very evocative for sure. The base beer is malty and rich, moderately thick, suggesting dark rum, dates and raisin cookies. The third of three equal legs is the bourbon barrel character, powerful yet not overdone, oaky and just a touch hot.

It's a very enjoyable beer; not one bit timid yet made with elegance nonetheless. Highly recommended if this is your sort of thing. Solid A- (4.3).

Thanks again, Derek!

 

A junior barely wine sounds like a good "winter warmer" though. A winter warmer can be anything for the season and doesn't have to have spices.

 

Last large Thanksgiving (2019) I made a coconut layer cake that I was pretty proud of. I was surprised to learn that the majority of people don't like coconut.
Enter Oskar Blues Death By Coconut. Don't know why I have not had this yet.
Okay, so I'm really off on the rDev on this one. I really like coconut and I did like this beer. Read on.

3.77/5 rDev -9.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Poured from a 12oz can dated 10/20/20 to a diagonal cut snifter at 55F.
Pours black with brown edges with a very quickly fading small brown head.
There appears to be a strong alcohol in the nose, however the more I sniff it the more I think it might be other volatiles in the beer fooling me. After all this beer is only 6.5 ABV. Still, my final aroma impression is of a coconut liquor or dare I say coconut adhesive. Not super inviting honestly.
A few tastes quickly turn my mind around about this beer. Coconut, bitter chocolate, and maybe a false impression of hazelnut. Tasty. Still a hint of a volatile component but its not distracting like in the aroma.
The mouthfeel is also good. Very creamy and tongue coating. I actually view the low carbonation on this sample as a feature.
Overall- Non-impressive head, wierd nose, great taste, good feel. It helps that I like coconut I guess.

 

Second and final new beer today is a first for me in terms of rating. I believe I may have had at least one of these a few decades ago, but not during my craft phase. I also believe it's my first AAL review in a NBW/NBS thread. So away we go.

Jos Schlitz Brewing Co Schlitz



Can information: Born 08/02/20, Best By 1/4/21. 16 oz, states the Jos Schlitz Brewing Co. in Milwaukee, no ABV listed.

Appearance: Clear golden straw color pour, ample head leaves fine generous lacing upon receding. Heavy carbonation initially, steady slow carbonation continues throughout the pour. 4.0

Aroma: Nice bread cracker aroma, malt base leads, floral grassy backing. Pleasant. 3.75

Taste: Mirrors aroma though with less strength, bread cracker primary, light floral backing with pepper adding depth. 3.5

Mouthfeel: Light body, carbonation persistent, clean easy finish and drinking, a nice clean crisp lager. 3.75

Overall: This is a very good AAL offering, classic lager taste, fresh clean and refreshing, nice depth for the style. Even four months in, this beer held up well. Would definitely pick up again. 3.75

See you all tomorrow with at least one new offering. Cheers!