New Beer Weekend #40

Celebrating signing a contact on a new house. We had no plans to move, but we found one a few miles from where we are now that will be awesome for the family. Now I just need to sell my house.

Treehouse
Persist





Pours a deep black with almost no head and no lacing.

The smell is brown sugar, maple, a hint of coffee and run.

The taste starts sweet with maple and vanilla then moves to coffee and bourbon and finishes with a bitter char.

Medium/thick body with low carbonation.

Very complex flavors. Well done.

 

Greetings All from the Great Northwest where we are damp for a change. Not quite a tenth of an inch in the rain guage, and it won't move the needle during the wheat harvest, but better than nothing, which is what we've had for close to three months.

Today we have Nature Calls IPA.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16873/509188/

A sweet brew with a tropical fruit flavor and mild bitterness.

Happy Trails!

 

Hello New Beer Weekend!!!

Finally home after a VERY long day on the road all over the state today.

I had to travel to New Ulm for the annual family cemetery board meeting, since I'm a member. It was part in person, and part online. Those who wanted to be in person went to my very distant cousin's place, and the rest were on zoom. It's a good thing that I went because she couldn't get the zoom to work on her computer, or phone, but I was able to get it to play nice with my phone. It turned out to be a productive meeting, and the finances are in amazing shape.

After I headed north to visit some friends in St. Paul, and drop off some goodies there. I knew they were living it up, and they probably needed some beer and seltzers, which I'm easily able to get, being in the liquor biz. Sadly, i couldn't stay overnight, and really party, because one guest bedroom was occupied, and the other was painted this morning, and smelled really bad.

They're planning on selling the house this summer, and finally move to their home in Montana. I really hope they can pull it off, and get out of the city.

But, now I'm home, and a new beer. I should have had a new one earlier today, when I made a side stop along the way at u4ic brewing. However, I thought I didn't have enough time to enjoy one there. I did get a crawler of a new beer there, and will review it down the road.

Now to the new beer, and this was from the extreme generosity of @jkblr

From Taxman Brewing - Hop Audit: Comet - Belgian IPA - 6.5% ABV.

I do like Belgian beers, though I do have to be very careful with some of them, because they bite back hard the next day. This beer combines a more mellow IPA, with a hint of Belgian yeast. I've had this combo before, and loved it. This is the same with this beer: I love it, though, after all the driving, it went down crazy fast. Delicious, and I can't thank you enough @jkblr


Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/32480/544881/

4.03/5 rDev -1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer pours a nice murky golden color. There's a beautiful looking 1 finger, slightly off white head in this beer. I really like the retention here. It's damn good, and the head clings to the glass like superglue.
The nose has a nice, and mellow, pine aroma to me from the hops. There's also a slight funky aroma, from the yeast, going here also, but very slight. The hops are the star of the show.
I get lots of pine in the flavor. I do get a hint of grapefruit as well. These flavors are backed up by a slight, wild funky flavor, coming from the yeast. A hint at a Belgian style here.
This beer does stick in my throat, which I do like in an IPA.
Damn solid beer, and a pleasure to try.


since it was a "fast" drinking beer, one more tonight is in order. Since my fridge is full as heck, I wonder what it will be?

 

A doppelbock from Oliphant from Somerset, Wisconsin.

Oliphant Brewing Xuul
Bock - Doppelbock
ABV: 8.0%
IBU: NA



The aroma is dark, roasted malts predominately, with some hints of caramel and dark fruits, but only hints.

Appearance is almost (but not quite) opaque, deep dark ruby with a backlight. 1/2 inch tan head with a thick and creamy appearance, fading quickly but leaving thick lacing behind. Before long, it is a ring with scattered bubble islands, leaving no lacing.

The flavor is, like the aroma, dominated by roasted malts, with a bitterness from the dark malts, like a bitter coffee. The middle retains the domination of the roasty flavors, but starts to pick up some floral, which becomes a bit more assertive toward the finish, resulting in an almost light finish and aftertaste. This is a very interesting beer, but IDK if it is actually a doppelbock. This beer is malty and as dark as a stout, and the roasted malts are prominent over everything else. It is more in the vein of your generic American craft dark ale, despite being a lager.

Mouth feel is light.

Overall, this is an interesting beer, but it's overdone on the roastiness. I am enjoying this and I'm glad to have bought it. But, I doubt I'll buy it again.


L: 3.75 | S: 3.5 | T: 3.5 | F: 3.5 | O: 3.5 | Rating: 3.52

 

Ok, the first went down really fast, so, one final one tonight:
This one is thanks to @woemad

Humble Abode Brewing - Dirty Sunshine - 6.3% ABV.


A very interesting, and delicious, IPA. Thank you for sending this to me.

Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/56849/482508/

3.99/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Pours a beautiful lighter golden color. There's a 2 finger white head here. Retention is pretty good, and the lacing is nice.
The nose has a nice mango and guava base, then there's a bit of pineapple on the back,
Taste - quite the opposite of the nose. This is a very pineapple forward beer to me. The mango and guava are more of back up on this beer.
It's billed as a NEIPA, but not really juicy feeling. That being said, it does have a decent body for the ABV.
I'm happy to have tried this beer.

Ok, that is all for tonight. I might see you all early, on the flip side, with a new breakfast beer. I might also have one more for dessert, since it's supposed to snow tomorrow. Yeah, there were a few flakes in the air when I left home today, but it got sunny and nice outside. Tomorrow is snowy, and rain. YUCK!

 

For my final beer of the evening...

Andechser Doppelbock Dunkel
Bock - Doppelbock
ABV: 7.1%
IBU: 19



Clear mahogany with somewhat sparse rising bubbles. 1½ inch tan head, thick, with good retention. It forms pock marks as it recedes and leaves behind momentary lacing which slides down into the beer.

Rich aroma. Dark fruits and sweet molasses. Raisins and figs. Some toast.

The toasted pumpernickel bread is more up front in the flavor than in the taste. Blending in nicely are the dark fruits and sweet bready malts. The middle and finish are smooth and complex. It tends toward the sweet, but the totality is a sumptuous blend of the various flavors. The aftertaste is on the sweet side, but not overly so, and leaves a pleasant coating.

Mouth feel is luxurious and medium-to-substantial.

Overall, this is a full and gorgeous doppelbock. Complex, mellow, and a wonderful interplay of flavors.

L: 4.25 | S: 4.25 | T: 4.5 | F: 4.25 | O: 4.25 | Rating: 4.35

 

Glad you liked it. Btw, were you able to pick up my last box on Friday? I'm a little nervous about one item in it.

 

Had that one in Germany 22yrs ago and have wanted to drink it again ever since.

 

No, afraid not. My friends brought it in, and left town before I could get it. I likely, won't be able to get it till Monday.

 

This is the only Bock I could find in the entire store and it is a bold and boozy Bock! Poured into a 16 tulip glass, pours a very attractive chestnut brown with a half finger off white head that leaves some thin lines of lace, with solid retention. 4.5

Aroma is fig, dates, caramel, toffee, biscuit, and did I mention oaked vanilla whiskey. 3.75

Taste follows dark fruit, biscuit, toffee, caramel, vanilla, and woody whiskey lingers long after each sip. 3.75

Mouthfeel is a solid medium, maybe a touch dry, low carbonation, and it is a sipper that is complex enough to hold your attention and make you wonder if you will ever get your palate adjusted for the entire 22 oz bottle. It gets better and more balanced as it warms. 4

Overall I am excited I got to try this one, but not sure I would go back and purchase again. I feel the 9% should have been higher and it would have hidden the Whistle Pig better and kept it from dominating the other flavors. 3.75

 

Thanks. It sounds like I should have a chat with the beer manager at my local spot.

I've only ever had buckwheat a few times, and never in beer. I once went to a buckwheat pancake breakfast in Ohiopyle, PA that was a benefit for their local VFD. Ohiopyle is a tiny town along the Youghiogheny River that mostly exists as an outpost for white water rafting outfitters, and it's only a few miles from Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water. Anyway, I don't recall the specific grainy flavors in the pancakes, but it definitely offered a distinct sour twang at the end much like a sourdough(possibly even more pronounced). It was an interesting experience, and I'm curious how that would translate to beer.

I missed out on the 12oz. version myself. This is the 16oz. that was released a few weeks later. My brother-in-law watches the Dry Goods page like a hawk waiting for poster drops, so luckily he let me know when this one hit the site. I had wanted to order an official one for awhile, but I don't need anymore shaker pints or can shaped glasses in my collection. When I saw this glass I knew I had to jump on it.

Congrats! Sounds like a great beer to celebrate with!

Doozy is an understatement, I think. I enjoyed the write up and it sounds like a wild drinking experience. Is that residual water from a glass rinse or is that the Eisbock beaded up on the glass above the liquid line? It definitely sounds like a formidable opponent.

 

Good morning NBW
I am currently enjoying this beer courtesy of @Victory_Sabre1973

Lift Bridge Irish Coffee
The can states that they whiskey barrel age an imperial stout, then mix it with a milk stout before adding the coffee. Let's get into it...

12oz can with no noticeable stamp poured into an Irish coffee mug at fridge temp 7.6% ABV. The beer pours very dark brown with little in the way of highlights and minimal light brown head. The head recedes to a thin ring and single layer of bubbles. Minimal lacing. The aroma is mild with notes of coffee, roasted malt and cream. The taste is bittersweet coffee, bourbon, oak barrel and subtle sweet cream with moderate final bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Overall, great. The bourbon barrel and lactose are both at a perfect level and completely balance each other.

Thank you James and cheers all!

 

What happened to this post being New Beer Sunday?

 

Changed about 40 weeks ago

 

Keeping within the style of my first offering this week, last night I opened up Modern Times' Dragon Master imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels with cocoa, hazelnuts, and vanilla. This one also came from the queen of Modern Times distro, @Dimidiata. @Roguer drank this one a few weeks ago, and his review had my mouth watering. How did it fare in my glass? Let's find out.

Poured into a snifter, Dragon Master is yet another offering from Modern Times that seems to defy the laws of light absorption. This beer is jet black with almost no carbonation able to form a head. Only slight suds floated on the surface, while the few that could collect did so at the edges of the glass. The aroma was bourbon, chocolate, vanilla, hazelnut, and some nice roasted malt. So far, it was living up to the promise it made on the label. The taste did not hide the close to 14% abv, but offered up a world of flavor. The bourbon and its brown sugar quality was on full display. The chocolate was dark and bittersweet while the vanilla offered sweeter notes. There were some rich dark fruit flavors that complimented everything, but were not forward enough for me to decipher. Most times the use of nuts in beer is completely lost on me, but that was not the case this time. The hazelnuts offered a beautiful nutty flavor on the finish. This was not the flavor of a nut extract, but a clean flavor of hazelnuts akin to snacking on a bowl of them. I don't know where it came from, but I felt there was a slight salinity on the finish that was very welcome. The feel was thick with a full body and left some sticky residue on the glass. A fantastic example of what can be done with barrel aged pastry stouts. I woke up this morning and sniffed the remaining drops in the bottle and thought of my time with Dragon Master fondly. Thanks for this one, Christine!

 

Good day BAs! Joining the NBW thread with a NBS entry:



Steadfast from Tree House Brewing. Received on 9/4/21 from @Rub_This_BBQ in NBS BIF #13. 12 oz bottle stored at home at 42 degrees. Reviewed 25/4/21. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Undated bottle. Served at 53.6 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. Final temperature 58.6 degrees.
Appearance – 3.
First pour – Ruby Brown (SRM 24), clear. Appears brown but when rear-lite, the ruby is evident.
Body – Black (SRM 40), opaque. When rear-lite, same. Some sediment in bottom of bottle.
Head – Tiny (Maximum 0.5 cm, aggressive center pour), fawn, medium density, average retention, diminishing to a one mm crown and a half-dozen tiny islands of near-microscopic bubbles.
Lacing – None. This appears to be due to the lack of carbonation more than a function of the (secret) ABV.
Aroma – 3.5 – Very weak whiskey, mostly weak chocolate, no coffee. No malt, no hops, no yeast. Over time, weakens until it exists only in my memory.
Flavor – 3.5 – Begins slightly sweet and never changes. Primarily tastes like cocoa with a splash of watered-down whiskey. No malt, no hops, no yeast. No alcohol (Secret ABV, NOT marked on container) taste or aroma. Gastric warming begins about six ounces in. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl.
Palate – 3.5 – Full, just short of creamy with some oiliness, little carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 3.25 (After deducting 0.25 point for neither date nor ABV on personal container) Lack of head and lacing detract from what is otherwise a very ordinary stout appearance. The aroma is pleasing but very transitory. The flavor isn’t bad but isn’t out of the ordinary, and certainly isn’t whiskey-harsh. The whiskey barrels aren’t very apparent until the end, when whiskey vapors try to burn my hard and soft palates. Overall, a very average impy stout.
Rating 3.42, rDev -21.2%.