New Beer Weekend #57

Good evening nbwers, just finished getting the yard ready for Henri and now to my reward.

was in ct on Thursday so had to stop in fox farm.
Susurrus

4.21/5 rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

750 ml batch 2 bottle may 21

L:Light ruby red grapefruit with a touch of Hayes white fluffy head that fades quickly

S earthy / herbal note hard to pick out fruit on it is own

T herbal note not present and light berry notes ends tartness

Crisp and dry in the finnsh
Hits the spot for a hot summer night

 

That book seem like it would be a very interesting read @beergoot.

@JackHorzempa a local place by us installed a lukr recently as well. How well they use it remains to be seen. Now I just have to find myself a way to make some time to get there.

 

Visually this German-style pilsner from Upslope brewery is faithful in appearance to the German pilsner; however, the aroma and flavor indicate this is a rather unique interpretation. First, the aroma explodes with citrus and lemon which is odd for the style. Second, the hop profile is also quite prevalent in the flavor at the expense of the rounded malt flavor. Now, I know german pilsners are hoppier than their Czech counterparts, but this one is over-the-top.
Having said all of that, this pilsner is immensely quaffable with prominent bitterness and a dry and crisp mouthfeel. It is simply an American interpretation of a German pilsner. **Sorry, the printing on the can didn't show up very well in the photo.**

 

Thanks to @lordofthewiens for the weekend kickoff.

Not much doing today, preparing as much as we can for the hurricane potential. The threat level is changing seemingly every five minutes from horrendous to barely getting grazed, but no doubt it will be really tough in some places.

Tonight's victim:



Allagash From Maine With Love #4. These are apparently pilot brews featuring Maine ingredients as much as possible and the talents of the brewery staff.. This one is a saison brewed with lemon verbena. It has one mediocre review here, and I unfortunately have to concur.

Pours nicely enough, crystal clear gold with the white pillow head. The head drops quick leaving a thin sheet of bubbles.

The smell is very weak. Vaguely herbal, I can pick out the lemon verbena since we grow it and use it for tea, but it is barely present. Grassy and some mild estery notes, but not a lot going on. Minimal yeast signature.

The taste is equally mild and non-descript. It has elements you would expect from a saison, just not much of it. The herbal and grassy notes dominate initially but eventually the lemon verbena wins out and dominates. Kinda unpleasantly, to be honest. The peppery and spicy notes I'd expect from an Allagash saison do try to come and play, but it just isn't working. No peace in the sandbox - it is a mess.

The feel is a light body, but severely under carbonation for the style. Yet it is giving an aggravating kind of burn in the front of the mouth. Bone dry. The lemony herbal residue on the tongue becomes annoying after a bit, and the clash of the titans going on in the flavors is disappointing and not an enjoyable interplay.

Somebody asked whether we sugar coat here...well... Allagash makes some of the best beer I have ever enjoyed but this ain't one of 'em. Even for a pilot brew this is a significant let down and quite a disappointment. If this one makes a 3.5 it will be gracious. It may come in under 3.0 depending on how it goes from the 8 ounce midpoint. Simply not a good effort here and not what this brewery should be peddling, imho. Anybody who thought this should be packaged versus dumped, I have to wonder about.

 

Last week I had Boddington's and loved it, a lot more than most reviews on here. Well, my favorite local brewery cans their bitter pretty often but I have never had it. I wanted to see how this beer compared the beer I enjoyed so much last week. I'm assuming it will be pretty different but maybe not. Lets find out...

Tonewood - Blip Stream



This beer is a very cloudy dark honey color, it looks very nice when held up to light. It poured very vigorously with big quick popping bubbles. A nice fluffy offwhite head remains, this may be in part to the etched bottom of my glass. This head is very cohesive but does show some minor lacing about half way through the glass

First smell is very powerful fresh baked bread, it is front and center over anything else, also some grain and honey as well as a slight herbal/floral tea like smell.

Taste very much follows the nose on this beer. The main difference being the herbal tea note I got in the aroma doesn't really show itself. It is mostly fresh baked bread dipped in honey.

This beer has a very pleasant mouthfeel, it is light bodies but full and soft. The initial pour had me thinking this may be super carbed. It is not, quite the opposite actually, it nowhere near a nitro feel but it leans that way in terms of how the carbonation bubbles feel on the tongue. No bitterness to speak of and slightly sweet finish.

Overall, a great great beer. I'm very lucky my favorite local brewery brews beers like this regularly. I will definitely buy this beer again. Extra tidbit/wishful thinking...Tonewood is almost done with their new production facility about 15 minutes away, a much bigger brewery. I would love to see this beer nitro canned someday. They offer it on cask a lot but I don't make my way over there often anymore, this beer was purchased at a store a mile away.

@zid

 

As with the Hazy-O I reviewed last week, today's beer for me comes from the 12-pack of 4 different beers from Dogfish Head that I purchased primarily for the fruited kettle sour online tasting a few weeks ago. Since I'd not had any of the 4 beers before, I bought the sampler instead of just a 6 pack of SeaQuench.

This beer is marketed as a low ABV / low calorie IPA. I have adjusted how I approach such beers. I don't compare them with 6+% IPAs, since even though they are entered here as the same style, in reality, they are not the same style. Therefore, I now approach them on their merits as a hoppy low ABV ale. I expect them to be thinner, less malty, and hence less well balanced, but I also expect them to be enjoyable as, for example, a summer crusher.

Dogfish Head Slightly Mighty
ABV: 4.0%
IBU: 30



Strong aroma; citrus, melon, mango. A hoppy invitation.

It has an orange slightly hazy appearance, well carbonated, topped with a tall airy white head, recedes to 1/4 inch fairly rapidly, but has good retention after that.

The initial taste presents a slightly bitter, slightly harsh orange rind flavor followed by a mild melon-like taste. The flavors tend to munge together rather than remaining distinct, resulting in a not unpleasant but muddled taste. After the initial hit of mild bitterness, it mellows out. The finish is fruity, mild, and on the dry side. The aftertaste is pleasant but mostly unremarkable. Half way through, though, a bit of sharpness builds in the aftertaste.

Decent body, especially for a low ABV IPA.

Overall, OK. Easy enough to drink, decent, if muddled, flavors, and a dry finish. Still, though, I wouldn't put this at the top of my low-cal crusher list.

L: 4.0 | S: 4.0 | T: 3.5 | F: 3.75 | O: 3.5 | Rating: 3.68

 

Bench Brewing Company Folklore Dark Sour on Cherries



3.96/5 rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

1 pint 0.9 oz bottle from the grocery store dated November 6, 2019. Picked it up out of curiosity. Seemed like a good choice for a late summer evening as the days are noticeably getting shorter.

Large foamy head over a darkish red body. Head eventually faded but never went away. Smell was heavy on the cherries, very sweet at first with a sour tinge that grew as it warmed up. Not unpleasant but a little lacking in complexity.

Taste was very sour, so much so that it dominated everything else. As it warms up I get an unexpected pleasant pastry sweetness that might be the graham cracker flavor mentioned on the label. Time to revise the ratings!

Feel was fine for a Wild Ale/Sour. Definitely worth having tried.

 

*fistbump*

 

Today, I attended Rushing Duck Brewing Company's 9th Anniversary. Rushing Duck is perhaps my favorite brewery both in terms of the beers it brews and the atmosphere of the brewery. I enjoy every time I visit and especially the annual anniversary every August. When RD is "on" the beers are stunningly good. I've often said that nobody blends big beers better.

One of the 9th Anniversary releases is a Single Barrel Barleywine. It's aged in a Heaven Hill Bourbon barrels for 3 years. I can only say, WOW! It pours a dark brown-cola color with a thin, light ecru-colored head and modest lacing. On the nose there is distinct bourbon, brown sugar, and buttered brown bread. It's quite an aroma. Wow, what a flavor! It opens with strong sweetness from bourbon, brown sugar, maple syrup, caramel, black cherry, plum, port wine, and earthy tobacco notes. It's delicious! There is little hop bitterness. The alcohol is very strong. It's thick and creamy with fairly lively carbonation, and there is no escaping the enormous 17.6% ABV. Drink it slowly or, better yet, share it with friends. This ale is vintage Rushing Duck; they release huge, delicious ales every year for their anniversary. I'm grateful to have such an amazing Barleywine.

4.36/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

I have another RD beer to review tomorrow. Cheers, NBW!

 

Ommegang/AleSmith Philosophy East Coast Edition Belgian Style Quad/ Imp Coffee Stout, 10.8% ABV; 3.8 overall

Pours an effervescent chestnut with a thumb of mocha colored head. A little better than average head retention & lacing

S: Dark fruit, figs

T: Cloves, grassyness, figs, green banana up front. Al ittle juicy fruit/green banana taffy as this warms along with dryness, plus a touch of mocha. A little dark chocolate, green banana, & clove in the finish

MF: Medium body, moderate carbonation, warming

The Belgian Quad is the boss on this one, coffee is barely there. This was alright, but really hoped for more on this collab. Worth a try I suppose

 

Greetings All from the Great Northwest where we are cooler yet. Temps in the 70s. Starting to feel like fall.

Today we have Tree Frog organic pale ale from Portland.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16353/468384/

It's a nice beer. Not sure the organic part does anything for me?

Until next time,

 

Hello New Beer Weekend!!!

Today was the grand opening, well, more of a soft opening in my book, of my new local - Back Shed Brewing. It's so close to me, I can see it from my apartment, well, the complex it's in anyway.

I was there twice today: before work, and after work. I had to do my research, and I'm sure I'll be back next week as well, for more research.

But, to tonight's post work research:

Cranky Man - American Blonde Ale - 5.4% ABV

I would have reviewed my beers from earlier today, but the place wasn't in the system yet, but now it is.

This is an easy drinking blonde ale, and it has a nice flavor from the mango and cranberry. I am happy with this beer, and all their beers so far. It's a good start, and I can't wait to see where they go from here.

Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/61553/564692/

3.52/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a murky golden color. A bit of white head when poured from the tap. There's a bit of lacing.
Nose is light, but has the mango and cranberry in it.
The flavor is light, but I get the mango and cranberry.
Crisp light clean body.
Tasty and easy drinking.


I might be back for one more in a bit.

 

Very nice, this looks most enticing among the beers reviewed on Saturday. We do get a few Tilquin but I don't recall seeing that bottle before. I typically prefer a gueuze to a fruited lambic, and I'm not a big plum fan, but your description and notes have me hoping this finds its way to a local store.

Also, congratulations @Beersnake1 on completing your first ultra marathon race! Glad you enjoyed your Bruery stout, you most certainly earned it!

I now kick us off to celebrate New Beer Sunday, the 861st edition! I will complete the Revolution Hat Trick, though this one poured just after 6AM from home.

Revolution Brewing Lucia



Can Notes: 16 oz, canned 5/20/21 @ 14:02:54. Dry Hopped Spelt Saison Ale, 5.5% ABV

ChicagoJ Editorial Note: This can honours Lucy Gonzalez Parsons, who lived near the brewery when she moved to Chicago. Her husband Albert Parsons was executed for his role in the Haymarket Square riots, a conviction many historians and contemporary accounts note was without much if any evidence.

Revolution Brewery is located on Kedzie Ave, and Lucy has an honorary street sign on Kedzie where Revolution Brewery is located for her activism on behalf of the labor movement, near her former home on Troy which I believe was torn down to build the Kennedy Expressway.

Appearance: Multiple pours into a large tulip glass. Bright, lemon orange colour base, somewhat foggy, generous white puffy head lingers for a few minutes, leaving clumpy lacing throughout. Mild to heavy carbonation throughout. 4.0

Aroma: Very nice saison aroma, the yeast yields generous pepper, the hops bring a nice fruity mix of tangerine, citrus, lemon and pineapple. Strong and pleasant. 4.25

Taste: Consistent with the aroma, nice funky yeast, peppery, lemon grass, tangerine and lemon, banana and clove, citrus. All blends very well and balanced, very enjoyable light and easy drinking. 4.25

Mouthfeel: Light crisp body, neutral to slightly sweet and dry, very easy drinking, clean finish. 4.0

Overall: This is a very enjoyable saison, bursts with flavor and aroma, pepper, fruit. Love the can art as well, hope this becomes an annual release, should have picked up another four pack. 4.25

Musical accompaniment: Prologue & Someday

 

Good day BAs and welcome to New Beer Sunday! Today's cross-post with WBAYDN:



Florida Stout from Voodoo Brewing. Purchased on 16 Aug 21 from Franklin Beer, Franklin, PA. $ 15.00 (Including tax) per single capped 500 mL bottle ($0.888/oz). On room temperature shelf at the store, stored at home at 42 degrees. Reviewed 22/8/21. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Undated bottle. Served at 52.3 degrees (I couldn’t wait any longer!) in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. Final temperature 55.0 degrees.
Appearance – 3.5.
First pour – Black and thick, like pouring Old Engine Oil (SRM 40), opaque.
Body – Black (SRM 40), opaque. When rear-lite, same with minimal penetration at the extreme edges. Some sludge awaits in the bottom of the bottle.
Head – Microscopic (Maximum three mm, aggressive center pour), brown sugar, high density, fizzy, quickly diminishing to no crown and no cap. Second pour produces no head.
Lacing – None, as expected at 11.6% ABV.
Aroma – 4 – No malt, no hops, no yeast, no vanilla, no lactose, but definitely coconut.
Flavor – 4.5 – Begins slightly sweet with chocolate, coconut, a touch of coffee, and just the slightest hint of vanilla. No malt, no hops, no yeast. No ethanol (11.6 % ABV, as marked on container) taste or aroma. Moderate gastric warming. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. Ends cloyingly sweet.
Palate – 4 – Full, creamy, soft carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 3.75 (After deducting 0.25 point for undated personal container) Sorry Voodoo – after 15 years in the business you should be dating your containers. Overall, a tasty Impy stout, with both the coconut and the vanilla making an appearance before being smothered by lactose. Time for some insulin.

Rating 4.12, rDev -6.8%.

 

Poured into a 16 oz Nordic pint glass canned on 8/11/21. Pours a very attractive hazy orange with a half finger sticky white head that leaves thin streaks of lace with solid retention. 4.5

Aroma is passionfruit, tangerine, pineapple, and apricot. 4.25

Taste follows passionfruit, pineapple, tangerine, and apricot really balanced. 4.5

Mouthfeel is above medium, not dry or sticky, soft creamy carbonation, and at 6.9% it goes down really easy, but still packed with flavor. 4.5

Overall another excellent NEIPA from this brewery. 4.5 Cheers all.