New Beer Weekend #62

Far from my first new beer of the day -- I got to try three new Cantillons, two new Hill Farmsteads, a new Floodland, a couple new E9s at Zwanze day today. It was fantastic. But it was also as much a social event as a beer event, and as I usually try to do, I paid more attention to the people than the beer, and did not shut them out for the sake of notes or reviews.

So, here's my first new beer that has my full attention: Aqua Seafoam Shame, a fresh hop IPA from Cloudburst.


I haven't totally figured out Cloudburst's labelling scheme, but it seems like they have a few category labels (like one for lagers, one for IPAs, and apparently one for fresh hops), and then the specific beer name is stamped on the edge of the can with the canning date, as you see above.

16oz can served in a tulip. Bought it at Ridgewood Bottle and Tap a couple days ago. Dated 09/21/21.

Pours slightly hazy, pale yellow, big fluffy head. Smell is bright, fresh, green hops, lots of lemon and some leafiness.

Taste is more of the same, more of a juicy flavor, strong resinous finish.

Mouthfeel is fairly light, dry, fluffy. Overall, very good beer.

 

Also, I agree...Endless Ending is a pretty damn special beer.

 

My new beer today is one that I "had" to buy a seasonal 12-pack to get.

"Had" is quotes because I actually bought it happily. I'm speaking of the Samuel Adams Sweater Weather box. Since I had never had ANY of the Adams fall seasonals, this box had 3 new-to-me beers and 3 of an old standby that I always enjoy. I also am glad that BBC put together a fall seasonal box that was 3/4 fall seasonal beers!

Anyhow, the first beer I tried from the box:

Samuel Adams Festbier
ABV: 5.8%
IBU: 22



A deep golden color - quite good looking - clear with plenty of tiny rising bubbles below a tall white thick head that has good retention, receding below a domed top.

The aroma is faint, so much so that it is hard to pick out much to describe. Just a bit of grassy or earthy aroma.

The taste is much better. Malty with a bit of brightening from the hops. Bread and a touch of caramel. It is, as the label says, very smooth and mild. Eminently drinkable, malty but not too sweet. It seems to me to be a bit of an in-between styles beer (i.e. between a Märzen and a Festbier rather than a true Festbier). I would guess Sam Adams was not wanting to stray too far from their very popular Oktoberfest.

The mouth feel is substantial, smooth, and creamy.

Overall, an enjoyable beer, one I could have several of in a "session", but lacking the crispness of the best festbiers I've had. Nevertheless, and we'll see how I feel after trying (for the first time) the Sam Adams Oktoberfest tomorrow, but I could see buying 6 packs of this. At this point, I'm sorry to have only 2 left. (The rating doesn't show how much I enjoyed drinking this beer.)

L: 4.0 | S: 3.25 | T: 3.75 | F: 3.75 | O: 3.75 | Rating: 3.65

 

Watching old-school Looney Tunes with my eight year old son. Ending my night on a nice, relaxing (and interesting) crowler of Pocket Piano Fresh Hop IPA from Mirage.

32oz crowler served in a tulip. Got it at Ridgewood Bottle & Tap yesterday.

Pours hazy whitish-yellow with a fairly big fluffy head. Smell is tons of green vegetation and some citrus pith.

Taste is somehow both harsh and fluffy vegetation, citrus smoothie, strong resinous bitter finish.

Mouthfeel is smooth and creamy. This is a little different, but very enjoyable.

 

Hey all, here's my entry for this week. After I finish this review, I'm gonna take my first Bio II exam. Wish me luck!

This is Ledges, a 7.7% ABV IPA from Outer Range. It features Strata, Columbus, and Nelson hops. Sounds good.



Pours a translucent yellow-gold color with a ridiculous head of bone-white foam measuring four-plus fingers upon initial pour. I had to slightly slow down from my normal pour rate for this bad boy. Usually, I would think this might be a fermentation problem, but it settled down quickly afterwards, though it's still hanging around in my glass with a nice cap of sudsy goodness and spectacular lace. Nice stuff so far. One thing I will say before I get into this one, though... all breweries should be can-dating their product. I am unsure as to this beer's freshness.

The nose leads off with pineapple and ripe mango mingling with catty notes from the Strata along with some expected (but very welcome) white wine from the Nelson. A hint of melon and some slight strawberry-like undertones add to the somewhat sneaky complexity this IPA is showing off so far. This doesn't exactly jump out of the glass and hit me over the head, but what is here is intriguing and well-done.

First sip is well-balanced with an initial hit of grassy hoppiness mixed with papaya and mango-driven tropical fruit elements. Mid-palate has a slight malty chew that fades quickly to a bitter floral finish that lingers for a few seconds and whets my palate for more. Next sip has a touch of dankness and some light acidity. Feel is between creamy and well-carbonated/well-balanced, so it doesn't exactly sit on the "juice bomb" end of the spectrum when it comes to modern IPAs. Nelson and Strata is a fun combo, but I also can't help but feel like they both compete for space here at the end of the day. Both are strong and characteristically-intense hops that don't do well with sharing the stage at the end of the day. I would like to have felt a bit more crisp white wine mingling with dankness in this to really push it to its limits. That said, I still very much enjoy sipping it and would grab it again. Outer Range is one of very few breweries that I will buy even though they don't can date, and their dedication to quality IPAs and getting stuff to stores relatively fresh based on dates added to Untappd, etc. (for a brewery half-the-US away from me, that is) is not lost on me. Solid for sure.

 

Thanks for the kickoff @SawDog505
I have been blessed with some fresh hops courtesy of @snaotheus
Fresh Hop 2021 by Breakside

A brassy babe she is. Capped with an almost milky, yet fluffy, head. Solid retention, scattered lacing.
Nose: Ya Mon. Pumps the weed and pine resin upon popping the tab. Green with an oh-so hint of grain in the background.
Flavor starts like the nose, sees and pine resin. Next comes some lemon zest, grapefruit, pepper, and again some mild hints of the grain.
Mouthfeel is medium. Slick finish. Carbonation is mellow but keeps things moving.
Overall, a great IPA. Fresh hop indeed.
4.11/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Loving this. Thanks, Ryan!

 

Brasserie De la Senne - Saison de la Senne


Pours a slightly clouded amber color with a big, spongy white head.


Smells of a flowery funkiness, matured peaches and plum skin among rich Camembert and old leather.


Drinks very refreshing with a lively, slightly stony carbonation and a light and well balanced body.


Tastes of fresh squeezed lime pulp, intense blue cheese among blueberries and earthy toffee, tied together by a vivid, oaken tartness. Dried mushrooms mingle together with overripe white wine grapes, mellowed by a rustic, spicy hay and straw coumarin quality. Finishes with orange zest, maintaining citrus and matured, dry hops with the pleasantly present, moldy, oaken barrel going all the way on the palate.


To me this is definitely more like a lambic than a Saison. It’s funky, tart depth of flavors define the beer, while the pleasantly spicy, rustic Saison yeast effectively adds to the complexity of this.

 

I learned breakside labels the beer on the stamp. The color of the label changes but they all say fresh hop 2021, the beer name is on the bottom.

I bought a fresh hop 2021 last week thinking it was a beer name until I checked the date and it that and “FH Wanderlust”, and it was delicious.

 

Good day BAs! Off to another cool start to the day - yesterday's threatened thunderstorms cut short my mowing - next step will be to hire a bailer. Today's New Breakfast Beer comes from @snaotheus and the first LIF from NBS BIF #14:




Mosaicin’ My Day from Cloudburst Brewing. Received 16 oz can in a LIF from @snaotheus. Stored at home at 40 degrees. Reviewed 26/09/21. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Marked on TOP rim of can “MOSAICIN’ MY DAY! 09/07/21”. Served at 43.7 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. Final temperature 49.1 degrees.
Appearance – 4.25.
First pour – Straw (SRM 3), slight haze.
Body – Straw (SRM 3), opaque. When rear-lite, same but translucent.
Head – HUGE (Maximum 8.3 cm, aggressive center pour), ghost white, high density, average retention, rapidly opens into froth, diminishing to a four to ten mm undulating crown and a complete cap. Second pour produces a 3.2 cm high density head.
Lacing – Fair. Multiple three-dimensional islands and archipelagoes, connected by short columns.
Aroma – 4.25 – Initially mango and bubblegum, no malt, no yeast.
Flavor – 4.25 – Begins with a slightly sweet taste of fruit, a bit citrusy, no malt, no yeast, and a slightly malty bitter aftertaste. No ethanol (8 % ABV, according to the website, NOT marked on container) taste or aroma. No gastric warming. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl.
Palate – 4 – Medium, approaching creamy, soft but lively carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 4.25 Very good. Excellent use of mosaic hops! Flavorful and aromatic – tastes and smells as good as it looks.
Rating 4.23, rDev 0%

Thanks, Ryan, for this delicious brew! Got to admit I spent some time flummoxed by the nomenclature placement - I'd never seen a beer with the name stamped on the bare metal and no name on the attached label.

 

Yes - that's my hypothesis as well, based on more limited data. One for double (imperial) IPAs, too.

 

Your son looks rather young to be sharing beers - let's see some ID!

 

There is a noted ebullience to your expressions and I do like that!

 

Good morning NBS/NBW and thanks @SawDog505 for hosting this week.
A perfect New England weather weekend here in the 413, the maples have begun the annual
yard carpet. only a few more weeks and it will be raking season.
Todays offering is from The Lost Abbey, Noble Tendencies is a really well done Czech Style Pilsner. Solid in dody, rich (not heavy) in malts, snappy hops. A real winner for me.
Hope you all have a great week

Noble Tendencies

Pilsner - Bohemian / Czech | 5% ABV

The Lost Abbey
San Marcos, California

4.04/5 rDev -3.8% | Average: 4.2
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Poured from a 16 oz can, with a BB date of 12/29/21 into the test glass
A - Dark straw color, excellent clarity, motivated carbonation relentlessly supports a snow white cap.
S - Shortbread cracker, pale malt with a hint of honeycomb, a grassy noble hop thread as well.
T - Malts are on display, quickly matched with a spicy herbal hop component. hint of white pepper, with grassy underpinning. A kiss of lager yeast adds to the package.
M - Lively on the palate, semi sweet moves toward neatral with help from the hops ever so slight bitterness. Outstanding feel. The finish is quick and to the point, dry as a bone.
O - A delight of a Pilsner, lovely hop use on a beautiful malt base, that kiss of lager yeast, and super clean finish make this one stand out for me

 

Good morning NBW

The stars aligned and my wife and both kids were able to travel with me to northeastern Indiana yesterday to visit my parents, maternal grandparents, both sisters and two nephews. 10 combined hours in the car for an 8 hour visit. While in Ohio, I picked up a six pack of what will now be soup base for the rest of the season...

Platform Brauraiser


12oz CANNED ON 07/27/21 poured into a dimpled mug at fridge temp 6% 20 IBU per label. The beer pours mostly bright copper amber in color with khaki head. The head recedes to a thin ring and single layer of bubbles. The aroma is mild with sweet caramel and possibly a hint of toast or earthy hops. The taste is semisweet caramel and toffee and more more sweet before a moderately bitter, earthy hop finish. The mouthfeel is thin to medium bodied with average carbonation and a somewhat dry finish. Overall, decent beer, poor Märzen. Way too much sticky sweet caramel here, with a heavy handed hop treatment that is likely covering up a rushed fermentation.

You can't win them all. I have another new to me Oktoberfest for later today that I hope is a winner. Cheers all!

 

I have had New Glarus beers before but I was able to get some of their higher rated fruit beers in the spring and then some more in the late summer . Really enjoying these brews and they are deserving of their hype .

I like strawberry but have never been a fan of rhubarb . I saw the rating for their strawberry rhubarb beer and had to try it .



Strawberry Rhubarb by New Glarus

4.49/5 rDev +3.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle poured into a Spiegelau tulip

Translucent red liquid, carbonation, two finger creamy pink foam cap, good retention, settles to a thick layer

Waves of strawberry aroma, smells great on the pour

Taste is sweet strawberry, tart rhubarb,

Low sudsing, fizzy mouthfeel, gentle hint of sour on the finish

Delicious beer, finally something with rhubarb that I enjoy

 

Terrapin Mexican Style Chocolate Imperial Moo Hoo 2020 Reserve.



Ebony pour with a thick, creamy 1" tan head. Chocolate, cinnamon & other spices, vanilla, dark fruits, hot peppers, roast malt. Has a semisweet finish with a lingering pepper burn.
This is a great stout if you like hot peppers.

 

La Rouge Rose by Duneyrr

3.65/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Pint can received received from @FBarber in a Lif associated with Bif13


Fizzy rose colored foam over clear red liquid , foam cap quickly recedes

Aroma is tart , faint rose , hint of hibiscus

Taste is tart , gentle grape, hint of rose , hint of hibiscus

Light mouthfeel , effervescent, fizzy , dry finish

I like the taste of rose and I like hibiscus but this one doesn’t work for me . Tart rose spritzer

Thanks for this beer @FBarber

 

Antidoot In Christ there is no East or West


Pours a golden colored beer with a big and noisy head, which immediately recedes to a coating lacing.


The aromas unfold an intriguing interplay of fresh cut citrus and dusty, toffee accompanied leather. In between there is a lot of room for green apple pith, spicy garden herbs and soft flowers, as well as a nuance of wet basement and old flour.


Drinks light and refreshing with a lower, well fitting carbonation, allowing the beer to unfold an easy drinking, remarkably complex body.


Tastes of wet wood, dusty leather, dried straw and utmost refreshing, bitter lemons, which add a pleasant vividness to the flavors. Has a surprisingly fitting, short and sweet peak, defined by ripe limes and rustic, grain and dough accompanied toffee, balanced by an aqueous softness and a mineralic stone quality. Finishes with a late effervescence, leading to a well working crescendo, in which all the flavors blend together, creating a very satisfying and thirst quenching citrus funkiness with creamy blue cheese and dry herbs among a lasting leathery softness.


This showcases a very well integrated fruit addition, one which almost ends up in perfect disguise, since the base beer itself inherits a well pronounced tartness already. That being said, the Japanese medlars in this add a juicy, sweet and sour exotic quality to the beer, which works stunningly well for me throughout.