What Beer Are You Drinking Now? #3289

Geez, 600 miles is a loooonnnnggg trip for a brewery I've never heard of in a town I've never heard of. And I'm even on the Poconos side of the state. I hope you got good stuff.

 

Morning fellas and fellerinas

Got to try Bell’s Sideyard fresh hopped NE IPA last night for the first time, this is the first year it has come to Ohio. Wow, what an aromatic and fresh experience, glad I snatched some up. All Chinook hops that are apparently grown on site. Good stuff

 

Good morning BAs, and thanks to @Ozzylizard for getting us started this morning…I’m finishing off the bottle, this morning’s coffee - Big Bad Baptist Double Chocolate Double Peanut Butter Cup:



Bottled 2020. Poured at 56.7°. Whiskey aroma and taste dominate the whole. Little chocolate and very little peanut butter. The coffee addition comes across as bitter roast. Maybe the adjuncts overall were stronger this time last year? I like, just underwhelmed.

Another lazy day ahead for me…hope y’all have a fantastic Friday - Cheers!

 

Orval and Doom eternal. Cheers!

 

Cheers!

 

Masthead - Pumpkin Spice Latte Rotunda (16oz can).. cheers!

 

Lunch beer on the patio - WW’s “Coastal Love” Hazy IPA:



Light body, light haze, light bitter lemon hops. Drinks like a light, opaque American style IPA. Tasty. Cheers!

 

Lunch beer on a beautiful fall day in North Georgia. Weihenstephaner Helles is the choice. I think I'm going to dip into Belgian stash later with a Westmalle Triple I've been itching to drink. Cheers to Autumn!



Just chillin' this afternoon...

 

Good Morning Beer Advocates, and thank you @Ozzylizard for kicking things off today.

Want to make an announcement before presenting my beer. Beer Advocate is hosting a Malt Liquor / European Strong tasting event over the next three days. You can access the link in the Beer Talk forum, or through this link. I hope you are able to stop by, and perhaps return to a favorite beer or try one or two new ones.

This is the first beer I've pulled out for the Malt Liquor / European Strong tasting this three day weekend.

Labatt Max Ice



Full discussion in the Malt Liquor / European Strong thread. Summary for this audience, this is sweet, almost like Pop, and the ABV feels light until you reach the second half of the can (I have 8 oz left as I type this). That said, I'd pick this over several AALs, though it wouldn't be a regular option primarily because I prefer a balanced to bitter beer, malt should be in it's proper place.

You have three days to pick up a ML/ES beer or two and join us. However, this is last call for 1990.

 

Reaver Beach Where Do We Go When We Pie? Pumpkin ale

 

Happy Friday Advocates,
waiting for what will happen over the weekend, I am sending you the tasting that I did on Wednesday night with a friend of mine, which began as soon as he finished his work shift at the restaurant.
Let's say ... the time was actually a bit uncomfortable, but it was a long time that I wanted to let him taste cheese (semi-aged pecorino "Giuncato") and wild boar salami with myrtle ("Su Sirboni" farm) that I brought back from the holiday in Sardinia this summer.
As a first proposal, accompanied by cheese and salami:

Bibibir (ITA) + Maestri del Sannio (ITA) - SOLINA D'AVENA - Saison (6%)

33 cl bottle (€ 4.50) - "To be consumed preferably by: 07/23".
Produced not only with oats, but with an important quantity of Solina wheat (soft wheat, typical of the Abruzzo region)
On the nose immediately lively spicy notes (herbaceous, peppery) and rustic.
Beautiful golden color, abundant and soft foam that acts as a hat to the beer throughout the drink.
In the mouth we find a pleasant and lively carbonation and a medium-bodied Saison that supports a very pleasant aromatic bouquet that proposes a spicy, slightly citrusy taste (grapefruit), rustic but without properly earthy notes emerging.
Polite cereal notes emerge in the background that contribute both on a gustatory level and in making the drink softer.
Dry, clean finish.
Delicate spicy and cereal notes remain on the palate, which help to enhance the thirst-quenching sensation that leaves the drink.
Light and understandable laying of yeasts on the bottom of the bottle.
Excellent balance achieved, fresh and satisfying drink which hardly gets tired and, moreover, excellent quality / price ratio.





After enjoying it slowly, we moved on to the

Cascade Brewing (Portland,Oregon, USA) - CITRUS NOYAUX 2019 - Barrel aged Sour Fruit Ale (8,4%)

50 cl. Bottle
Blond Ale aged two years in cask with the addition of "Noyaux" apricots (including stones) with fresh orange, grapefruit and lemon peel.
Immediately upon opening, lively citrus notes (especially lemon, grapefruit and orange in the background) and also of white grapes that emerge surrounded by a soft barrel scent.
As soon as it is poured, the citrus scent is released even more.
Deep golden color, light foam that disappears quickly.
In the mouth we find a body of medium structure but which, thanks to the aromatic range of which it is embellished, slips away in great simplicity.
In the mouth it is a spectacular beer: perfect balance between the fruity notes of citrus fruits that are protagonists at the beginning before a refined acid note, but not of brett, just of fermented fruit that gives a very slight astringency before a drier and drier finish , which also gives a little feeling of dehydration.
Having already drunk their Noyaux, I cannot say that I clearly recognize the contribution of the apricots which, at least as regards the taste, I was unable to grasp them even though my tasting friend pointed out to me that they could make that contribution of sweetness which gives softness to the Blond Ale immediately after the citric acid note and immediately before the dry and dry finish.
The tongue remains dry, on the palate a delicate fruity bouquet that also evolves into a floral one.
Beer that is really well structured, offers a very satisfying and high level drink: I appreciated every characterizing element (except the difficulty of perception of apricots), also because each element is perfectly integrated with the others in commendable balance.





Then we moved on to the beers that my friend brought me, also a great lover of craft beer and companion of a thousand counters and festivals:

Cantina Errante (Barberino Tavernelle, Toscana, ITA) – SAISON CITRA 2019 – Dry hopped Saison (7,6%)

37,5 cl bottle, "To be consumed preferably by: 22/07/2025"
The base of this beer is a blend of several musts, made with the same cereals, but which are "processed" with different methods (Blendone, their perpetual must that follows a typical winemaking process with the "Governo del Bicchierino" process *1, Saison with ancient grains fermented in their barrels and a natural kettle Sour fermented in steel that followed the much appreciated "Super Santos method" *2).
On the nose, between the notes of cereal and wheat, the bitter aromas of hops emerge (citrus fruits, light resin).
Shiny golden color, abundant foam, of good consistency and which accompanies the drink from start to finish without ever disappearing completely.
Super smooth body in the mouth with the right carbonation (lively, but not excessive).
The beer is characterized by the cereal part of malts and yeasts on which the fan of Citra hops opens, used "gently" in dry hopping, therefore: citrus fruits (mandarin, grapefruit) but also nuances of yellow fruit (white peaches, apricots) .
The finish is dry and bitter, very pleasant for my tastes that slightly bitter note at the end that does not cover, but closes the entire gustatory path undertaken.
Definitely a well-made and appreciated beer, a sui generis Saison characterized by great basic balance and which makes the most of the sensory contribution of the hops used in dry hopping to characterize itself.

*1
Inspired by the "Uso Toscano" (Tuscan Government), used by winemakers throughout the Chianti in past centuries thanks to the wise guidance of the pioneer Giulio Gambelli, known as “Bicchierino”. This method keeps the populations of yeasts and bacteria that are present in ripening musts in activity, also generating transformations of molecules that have an impact on taste. In this way, greater complexity and more gustatory levels are obtained.

*2
It's an ancient and natural method to conduct the acidification of musts prior to boiling and bacteria selected and reproduced in the laboratory (the so-called Sour pitch), this method is more risky, because it does not lead to certain and always identical results, but allows to achieve greater complexity. The temperature and pH conditions are set so that the populations of lactic bacteria spontaneously present on the cereals acidify the must up to the desired level. This process usually takes 48 hours to wait.





Finally, on the threshold of 3 am ...
We concluded (as far as beers are concerned) with:

Birrificio Stradaregina (Vigevano, Lombardia, ITA) – RED GLOBE 2018 – Sour Italian Grape Ale (6%)

50 cl bottle - "To be consumed preferably by: 09/21" (therefore already very slightly beyond the recommended consumption date).
The base of this beer also comes from the blend of three musts in which different blends have been used (barbera, fragolino and uve rare).
Freshly uncorked, scent of black cherries and cherries in alcohol.
Intense red color, a more opaque ruby color, not limpid.
No foam.
Beer with a completely smooth body, similar to a wine. Absent carbonation.
In the mouth, the beer slips away very quickly as the gustatory contribution soon vanishes, which is again characterized by a brief taste of black cherry and red fruit (including red grapes) before clear and evident cereal notes emerge.
I did not perceive even the slightest tannic notes (which instead I would have expected to find), while the cereal notes even seem to dominate the short fruity taste that slips away on a body that would have deserved another structure for such a beer, in the My opinion.
Also in my opinion, also knowing the average quality of the productions of this brewery (specialized in spontaneous fermentations and lambic-style beers with fruit additions), the final result did not reflect the original idea.
All in all pleasant beer, but penalized by a watery body that has failed to enhance the gustatory contribution of the grapes used in musts and has not found that balance and structure on which an Italian Grape Ale should be supported properly.





Before saying goodbye, I couldn't pull off one last surprise:

Myrtle from Cantina Giogantinu (Berchidda, Sardegna, ITA), a typical Sardinian liqueur (30%), bought at Km 0 obviously also 100% artisanal.
Not sweet but sweet, but in which the unmistakable flavor of the berry is clearly felt.



Have a nice weekend guys !

Sláinte !
Cheers !

 

Happy TGIF day BA's

Been having trouble finding any malt liquors or stong Euro lagers, but I should be back later on that thread with something.....

In the meantime - and speaking of overpriced dark beers (looking at you SNBC and the overpriced Almond Joy inspired Porter) - this one I picked up today is a great value and great beer - 8% Icelandic brew with smoked Icelandic barley and spruce tips - at $9.99 a 6 pk! Hell ya! My kind of price point - screw these $15-20 4 pks of over priced stuff!

Ok, rant over.......

 

Cheers!

 

Wet Hop IPA? That's new on me. Cheers!

 

Almost time for Winter Warmers. Maybe a little sooner up your way. Cheers!

 

Cheees!

 

Yes, very tasty. Think Torpedo, but with a little more robust taste. Cheers!