New Beer Weekend #66

Right - a bourbon and oak English barleywine and I cheated a bit - it's my home brew and still a bit young.

 

Oskar Blues BA21 Volume Six, 13.3& ABV; 3.89 overall

Pours an effervescent chestnut/mahogany with a thumb of mocha colored head. Some head retention & lacing

S: Dark fruit, boozeyness

T: Dark fruit, boozeyness, barrel rawness, some peanuts & coffee up front. Figs, raisins, woody hops, barrel boozeyness as this warms. finishes with cola flavor, woodyness, some booze warmth & raisins, plus peanuts

MF: Medium body, assertive carbonation, warming

Not bad, but not really wowing me, this is not one I would buy again, the floor is high on this style of beer & this one barely exceeds it, Aging the other 2 & hoping for better, too hot for starters, but also just not a great flavor combination

 

I didn't pick up any oak or bourbon, so I thought it was a straight up EBW. Might coulda used a touch more carb. The bottle popped when I opened it, but after the initial pour, it was pretty still. No sediment or lees in the bottom of the bottle, so it was very clean. I liked it, and would nail again! Good work buddy.

 

Xenia, a "Biere de Miel" with honey, lemon peel, and rosemary from Fox Farm. As I was chatting with my server at the Grand Delancey last week talking about east versus west coast beers, I told him I'd send him some beers from my side of the country and he thrust this and another Fox Farm at me that I've already drunk.

750ml bottle served in a tulip. Brought it home in a suitcase. Batch #3, bottled January 2021.

Pours a lightly cloudy bright yellow color with a small head. Smell is bright floral/funky, definite green plant overtones and lots of lemon. Spices are evident, although I probably wouldn't have name rosemary if it wasn't on the label.

Taste is leaning in the lemon direction with a moderate funk, I wouldn't even pick out rosemary as a flavor on its own but you can tell it's there accenting the other flavors and offsetting the sweetness.

Mouthfeel is super light and clean. Overall, this is really nice.

 

Good evening all! Been running pretty much non-stop lately from task to task with no time for beer. I know! It's bad!
But finally I was able to reach back into one of the boxes that beer nerd extraordinaire @ovaltine sent me for NBS BIF #14 - Sleeping Lion, a heavily hopped imperial porter.
Reading that description filled me with trepidation as I don't enjoy hoppy stouts/porters as a rule. And I likely would not seek this one out often either, but that's just me. After it warmed a bit I focused on what I was tasting and being able to separate the hops (The centennial seemed to dominate that side of things) and malts helped me enjoy it more. Overall, I did very much want to try this, and now I have, so thanks Michael, for sending this my way!
BTW, that head took *forever* to settle down. I had to start drinking from the can because I didn't want to wait any longer!
Cheers all!

 

Thanks for the start @jkblr
Well, I am the recipient of some fine fermented love, thanks to our NBS BIF #14. Yes, 14!
First off, @WunderLlama sent me this beauty...And he wasn't even my sender.
And this was an absolute gem! Thats, Maynard!

Green City by Other Half
Pours a very hazy orange tinged golden color. A very generous, fluffy, off-white colored head rises 2+ fingers high. After a few minutes settles to a nice half inch milky fluff. Fantastic retention, followed by nice layers of leasing.
Nose abounds with plump tangerine, orange zest, pineapple, some floral lemon, wet grass, a not-quite sweet but creamy grain note, and some mild herbal spice.
Dear Lord, the flavor follows faithfully with slightly more focus on grapefruit pith mellowed by pulpy orange in the citrus department. But there’s still that green aspect to it which brings the grass and interestingly a young pineapple note. A tiny bit of pine resin comes in with hints of dank and herbal spice but there’s also some stone fruit.
The mouse field is sublime. It’s fluffy, gentle yet lively and it’s carbonation, with a slightly better finish that still retains its creaminess.
4.44/5 rDev +4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

 

I miss @SammyJaxxx. I hope he rejoins us some day.

 

Well I should've had this one BEFORE the Green City. It's good, but not as tasty as the that glorious elixir.
Modern Family by Paperback
Can labeled as a “West Coast Style India Pale Ale.”
Hops listed as: Nelson Sauvin and Citra.
Clear golden color. Nice two fingers of head that drops off to a thin film and ring. Thank you decent retention layered scattered lacing.
The nose is interesting because the play between the Citra and the Nelson hops actually takes in the direction of almost cascade. Still quite pleasant but not what I expected.
Flavor follows the nose some light citrus but still going in that overall cascade direction. Malt comes through as well.
Mouth feel a spot on on the wait, lower on the carbonation, but a nice earthy bittering finish.
Overall I think the description is West Coast is appropriate, Nelson fans might be disappointed. Having said that I’m not a Nelson fan.
3.73/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

 

Amen...I reached out a little over a year ago. He said he was ok. But wishing good things. A very generous, funny, witty soul. @SammyJaxxx

 

Samson Bock, from Czech Republic
It seemed fresh, I didn't notice any off flavors. 6.1% ABV

3.88/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

500ml green bottle, date code L2021138, Original Czech Lager, Anno 1795, World beer awards (2019): Worlds best style winner, what ever that means???
Look: Transparent gold body, nice head: tall, fluffy, persistent, leaving plenty of lacing
Smells good: sweet malt, corn, grain and that euro lager smell. plus a little hop zing
Taste: starts out sweet and smooth, malty, bread, grain, and maybe some corn or a micro hint of caramel. Towards the finish the bitter hops take over. A grassy, herbal, lemon/lime zesty flavor that lingers in the aftertaste.

I take it the Bock designation is due to higher ABV. A solid beer 3.91/5
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/303/573009/

 

Good day BAs! Off to another start to the day here on the tundra of NW PA, on the fringe of what the politicos in Harrisburg call "the wilderness" - yep, we're all savages up here who desire the benevolent ministrations of our "elected" officials who sure know best what we want. But anyway. Today's New Breakfast Beer comes from @snaotheus in the first LIF in NBS BIF #14:



after the extra attached image was stripped away.


The Rusty Nail (2021 Release) from Freemont. Received a 22 oz bomber in a LIF from @snaotheus. Stored at home at 38 degrees. Reviewed 24/10/21. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Served at 56.8 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. Final temperature 60.4 degrees.
Appearance – 4.25.
First pour – Black (SRM 40), opaque.
Body – Black (SRM 40), opaque. When rear-lite, same, although some light does penetrate the edge and appears red.
Head – Average (Maximum 1.5 cm, aggressive center pour), brown sugar, high density, fizzy, quickly diminishing to a one to four mm bubble ring and no cap. Second pour produces a 0.9 cm head.
Lacing – None, hardly unexpected at 12.3% ABV.
Aroma – 3.75 – Initially weak licorice, no hops, no malt, no yeast, no cinnamon, faint bourbon as it warms, no oak.
Flavor – 4.25 – Begins with the sweet taste of licorice and dates, no hops, no malt, no yeast. No cinnamon. Weak bourbon on the exhale with no oakiness. No ethanol (12.3 % ABV, as marked on container) taste or aroma. Moderate gastric warming. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl.
Palate – 4.25 – Full, creamy approaching syrupy, soft carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 4.25 This is one of those rare brews that looks the same in the glass as it does during the pour. It has a bit of the candi sugar feel of a Belgian brew, a bit sweet. The oats serve well, adding a luscious velvety feel across the palates. Unfortunately for my taste buds, the cinnamon is deeply buried and I’m not sure if I’m actually tasting it or only hoping that I am. As the temperature approaches 61 degrees, the alcohol begins to predominate, so it’s time to chug the remainder. Overall, a decent brew but one that is temperature (and possibly age) dependent.
Rating 4.13, rDev -9.6%

Thanks Ryan - a bit sweet for my taste, but still pretty darn good! One I'd buy!

 

WTF??? Is that SNOW on the ground?

 

I had this on tap in some town in southern Italy a couple of years ago, while eating the local pizza with some distant relatives. Fresh and on tap it is MILES above the crap we get in bottles and cans here!

 

Thanks! I also did a cinnamon and a maple version which I'll pop after we return from TX. To my taste, in the base beer the bourbon is evident, the oak much less so. and incidentally, box #3 will be shipping Monday via USPS and the TX box will be headed your way after 1 Nov. Prosit!

 

Wow, totally agree on the sweetness, but I can barely drink that beer with all the cinnamon I get from it! I kept expecting you to say, "Oh, there it is!" as it warmed up.

I guess I haven't tried the 2021 yet, so maybe they toned it down this year. More likely -- I already know I am way more sensitive to cinnamon in beer than many on here. I've heard many people gush about it, but I can only enjoy it like 3-4 ounces at a time.

I'm joining you this morning for a "big" breakfast with the remainder of yesterday's 2920.

 

Christmas Ale, Great Lakes Brewing Co.

I LOVE winter warmers. I haven’t had the chance to try that many because there’s not that many distributed around here and not many local breweries produce them.

There was a thread earlier in the week about Great Lakes “First Pour”. I mentioned there how I would love to try this beer, and have never seen it around here, despite supposedly having distribution. Chris, @LloydDobler reached out and offered to send me some of this years batch. It arrived yesterday.

Starting with appearance; pours a translucent amber with a thick, frothy, off white cap reducing to sudsy lacing and an eighth inch ring that persists through the bottom of the glass.

Aroma is definitely baked bread, honey, cinnamon, ginger, and a grassy undertone.

Taste is honey up front, notes of biscuit and sweet malt, cinnamon, cloves, ginger; leaving a spicy/sweet finish.

Feel is thick, velvety, almost syrupy in texture. Carbonation cuts through in an acceptable manner on the finish and doesn’t allow it to be mouth coating. I really like this beer.

Overall, I think I’m gonna give this a 4/5. I love this style and this beer in particular is good. I can see myself trying to get more of these as the weather gets colder. Cheers.