New Beer Weekend #65

Good day Advocates! Great to be alive! Feeling lucky to have this new-to-me brew and what a beer it is. Man alive! This has got to be one of the best porters I've ever had. It's up there with Founders. The Fitz utilizes a full bore 37IBU here. It never looses it's edge. Absolutely world-class for sure.
Cheers! Happy weekend and happy beering!
Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter
4.49/5 rDev +5.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle into a nonic pint glass.
L: Pours dark brown with light ruby edges. Has a frothy pock-marked robust 2.5" tan head that has excellent retention. Abundant sticky lacing and banding. No visible carbonation.
S: Dark chocolate, caramel, heavily toasted malts, raisins, lightly floral.
T: Raisins, figs, dark soda bread, a fair amount of bitter dark chocolate, dark toasted malts, light char, light citrus zest at the top of the palate.
F: This superior tasting porter retains a brisk, fresh, soft medium bodied mouthfeel that is smooth and creamy. It's right in the middle and has a beautiful texture that is luxurious. It is lightly drying.
O: Extremely well balanced and crafted, full flavored and facilitating with tangible earth flavors. This American Porter is agreeably world-class in it's style.

 

It's a beautiful day to be alive here in New England. 75 degrees and sunny, and I have a fridge loaded with great beer sent my way by @2beerdogs in our currently running BIF. I hope to see lots of reviews this weekend from my fellow BIF participants. I know there's been lots of amazing beer flying around the country and I can't wait to hear about it.

First up is Go Blue Bunny With a Chainsaw, a "Tropical Berry Double Hazy India Pale Ale" from Paperback Brewing Co in Glendale, CA.


2nd overall review
3.78/5 rDev -4.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Bright & semi-translucent. Lots of dense white head with good retention and lacing. Overall, an attractive beer. Aroma is interesting. There's a definite berry angle to it, but not in a fruited sour kind of way. It's a hoppy berry. Distant melon notes lurk in the background. Taste is similarly interesting. The berries are even more clear than on the nose, but muddled together in such a way that I can't pick out individual ingredients. It's such a different taste that it was almost off-putting at first, but after a few sips I grew to enjoy it. There's a light to medium hoppy bite that rounds out the experience in a positive way. Well carbonated with overall medium body. Interesting beer.

 

The latest from Austin Brothers’ “Murk Series”. I’ve drank a few in this series and they’re usually pretty good. This one is no exception. Styrian Wolf and Ekuanot hops. I’m no hop expert or even an intermediate in regards to what flavors each one produces, but this beer has some kind of funny flavors.

Pours a bright straw gold with a couple fingers of bubbly white head.
Aroma is grassy, citrus, tropical fruit juice, and some funky smells almost like my favorite Saisons. There is some dank/pine notes present in the distance but this thing smells weird!
Taste follows suit with bitter hop on the front followed by an almost sour like funk. I always struggle using that word “funk” as a descriptor but I feel like we all know what it means; I always related to it when I started drinking Saisons or other wild beers. I always knew what someone meant when they said “this is funky” and this is funky! It’s so weird for a hazy IPA. Finishes a sweet citrus and tropical fruit juice with a soft oat. Feel is very velvety, but the hop bite is ever present. This is a good beer. A weird one, but a good one. Cheers!

 

Greetings NBWers! Y'all will likely notice quite a few mentions of rats fucking in a wool sock this weekend, as that was the theme of NBS BIF #14 (of which, this weekend is the 'Official' share date). I'm starting with a beer I received as part of a hit from @Ozzylizard , Lancaster brewing Strawberry Wheat. Loads of strawberry means this would be a great summer crusher while tubing down the Nooksack River.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/743/7932/

 

Poured into a 13 oz Teku glass canned on 9/15/21. Pours an attractive hazy yellow with a 2 finger sticky white head that leaves thin streaks of lace and with excellent retention. 4.25

Aroma is ripe melon, mandarin, a little gonja, apricot, and grapefruit rind. 4

Taste follows cantaloupe, mandarin, marijuana, apricot, and grapefruit. 4.25

Mouthfeel is above average, not sticky or dry, soft gentle carbonation, well balanced, and at 6.5% it drinks bigger but easy going down. 4

 

About double the price to send the same box domestically. Plus, there is a small but always present risk of customs seizure.

It is cheaper to send the other way using discount codes, from what I have learned over the years. In some cases only a few dollars more than what the same box would cost CONUS.

 

St. Bernardus Prior 8 Belgian Dubbel

Opaque, almost murky reddish brown color with orange highlights. Brownish tan cap is lasting along with good lacing.

Aroma of heavy caramel malt sprinkled with allspice. Very rich almost cake like scents.

Taste has more spice than I expected but there's no doubt this is all about the malt. Deep, caramel malt with a hint of a roasty quality. Simple flavors of malt and spice yet the sheer depth and power of the combination makes it seem almost complex. Also some dark fig like fruit essence as we journey toward a dry finish.

Full texture with an abundance of carbonation. I suggest an aggressive pour if you want to avoid a mouth full of bubbles.

All in all it's a good example of a first rate Belgian Dubbel.

 

Next up from @2beerdogs is Buzzman, from Unsung Brewing Company. This to me is a good example of why I love our BIFs so much. This beer will never be famous, and will never be a "whale" people seek out in a trade. I never would have heard of it let alone tried it if Derek hadn't sent it my way....and that would have been my loss. This beer isn't fancy, but what it is is a really tasty cream ale that is really hitting the spot on this beautiful October afternoon.


3.88/5 rDev -2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Pours a very, very light and almost completely clear straw color. An inch of loosely formed, very short-lived head. Aroma has some nice straw & bread notes, and very much leads one to think this will be an easy drinking beer. This is all cream ale on the tongue. Almost no bitterness, but neither is it a malt bomb. Will anything about the taste of this jump out at you? No. What will jump out at you is how damn smooth it is. Tasty, and just super, super easy going down. The can says this beer is "made to crush on hot days", and I think they pretty much nailed that.

 

Good Saturday afternoon, New Beer Weekenders. I've been digging into the massive haul of beer received from @FBarber. His latest box included this Festbier from Dovetail Brewery in Chicago, which seemed ideal for this lovely October afternoon following a day of yard work.

In New Jersey, Märzens are far more common than Festbiers/Wiesnbiers so I don't have much of a background for comparison - but this is a very tasty beer with a nice balance of dry, grassy grains, tart citrus, and caramel and honey. I'm really enjoying it.

Poured from 16 oz. can into a seidel. It pours a cloudy, honey color with a thick, creamy, milk-white head and significant lacing. A very attractive pour. The nose is great, as well with grainy, bready malt and hints of lemon, honey, and spice. The taste is spot-on; it opens with dry, toasted bread and lemon peel but as it warms a bit I'm tasting caramel and honey. It finishes with a nice dose of spice and slight hoppy bitterness. It's very well-balanced with just enough sweetness. It's medium-bodied with a pleasant level of carbonation, and the 6.7% ABV (per the can) gives it excellent substance. I don't know whether the alcohol level varies each year but it's higher than what's posted. Overall, Dovetail has brewed an excellent Festbier and I'm glad to have had the chance to try it.

4.15/5 rDev +1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Thank you, Frank! I'll be saying that a lot over the next few weeks. Cheers, NBW!

 

Another rat fucker brew from @Ozzylizard 's nice BIF box, Ricky Spanish by Voodoo Brewing. The alcohol was pretty strong in this, making it something of a chore to drink: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/13371/507182/

 

Fate really, really wants you to do a side by side with a 2021 bottling. This rare opportunity is in reach.

 

Received a porch destruction in BIF NBW 14 thanks to the generous @WunderLlama, the second box was full of treehouse that I’ve had zero from and I believe this mystery beer may have been in this box and therefore I’ve poured it into the appropriate vessel. Pours juicy, opaque orange, faint aroma of fruit, smooth orange, mango, pineapple very well brewed, some bitterness in the finish.

 

Today's beer I bought along with my shopping for Oktoberfest. During the discussion leading up to the online Oktoberfest, I stated that the Festbier style was basically a strong Helles. So, I bought the Helles beer from one of the brewers that I was buying the Festbier from. I'm starting with a stand-along review of the Helles. Later today, or perhaps tomorrow, I'll be posting a side-by-side with the Festbier. Even though it will violate the rules (guidelines?) of this thread, I'll post that here also.

Anyhow, on to the Helles.

Weihenstephaner Helles
ABV: 4.8%
IBU: 16



Bright golden yellow, clear and lively carbonation. 1 inch white head, thick and creamy, decent retention and thick lacing. Gorgeous looking in the pilsner glass.

Aroma of sweet bread, grassy and floral. Peppery spice.

Mild bread, floral, and grass in the initial taste. Bready malts and grassy floral hops linger throughout. A little bitterness appears in the middle and continues to play back and forth with the malts into the finish and aftertaste. The finish and aftertaste continue the tasty balance between the bready sweetness of the malts and the spicy herbal and floral hops, ending in a relatively dry finish.

The mouth feel is moderate to thin and creamy, and nicely carbonated.

Overall, an excellent helles. An excellent balance of sweet bready malts and grassy spicy hops with a touch of bitterness. Mild and so drinkable.


L: 4.5 | S: 4.0 | T: 4.0 | F: 3.5 | O: 4.0 | Rating: 3.98

 

Sole Shine from Ten Bends. I’m pretty sure this is the only VT beer that gets distributed in my neck of the woods. It is good, but hard to find “fresh”. This can is from 7/30. Still drinking damn good. Cheers fellas

 

Good afternoon NBW
I picked up two seasonal beers from THBC this week. Finally got a cool fall type day to enjoy them.

Velvet Cream milk stout with and without the addition of coffee from Tinker Coffee Company

First up is the coffee version

16oz CANNED ON 09/23/21 poured into a nonic pint glass at fridge temp 5.6% ABV. The beer pours dense black with only a hint of brown on the edges when back-lit. Minimal light brown head recedes to a thin ring and a few tiny bubbles. No lacing. The aroma is moderate in strength featuring sweetened & creamed cold brew coffee. The taste is semisweet, coffee forward with a hint of tangyness. Dark roasted malt, berry fruitiness and lactose come out toward the end of sip before ashy, roasty moderate bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium plus bodied with just less than medium carbonation and a somewhat dry finish. Overall, very good milk stout.

Cheers all!