New Beer Weekend #66

Love hearing that life is going well. Cheers, Ian!

 

Join the NBW BIF, then make sure the administrators select someone from the PNW as your sender.

Your beer fridge will soon literally have hop vines growing from every aperture.

 

I had a couple of Malt Liquor / European Strong Lagers for the first time this weekend due to the online tasting.

Today, I had the European Strong Lager:
Carlsberg Elephant Beer
ABV: 7.2%
IBU: NA



The ½ liter can is labeled "Pilsner", so, what the heck... poured into a pilsner glass! After being forewarned about drinking this beer cold, I'm starting out with the beer at ~38° F.

Appearance is clear golden yellow, well carbonated, topped by a ½ inch white head from a vigorous pour with OK retention. It leaves a sheet of lacing on the opposite side as I drink.

Aroma is nice, actually. Not very strong, but nice. Malty bread and a bit fruity: apple, if that was not subliminally placed in my head by @cjgiant.

First impression on the taste is corn, followed by sweet-ish malts, maybe honey. Almost immediately there is a decent level of bitterness that grows from the middle through to the finish and dominates the aftertaste. Subsequent sips still have the bittering lingering from the previous drink, which tends to balance the sweetness of the corn and honey. I'm not getting the fruit that I picked up in the aroma.

Half-way though, as the beer has warmed a bit, the warmer temperature does bring out more of the apple. It also brings out a mineral character, which in this beer (unlike the Utepils Kölsch I had earlier this afternoon) seems to sit nicely alongside the bittering. I finished the beer before it got to the point of being too distracting - but it was obviously getting there. (Maybe the Utepils was meant to be consumed colder as well...)

Mouth feel is thin-to-medium bodied with good carbonation.

Overall, I will have no problem grabbing the other 3 of this beer I have in the 'fridge. This beer is refreshing and easy drinking when cold, and - unlike with your typical AAL - the cold does not make it flavorless.

L: 3.75 | S: 3.5 | T: 3.5 | F: 3.5 | O: 3.5 | Rating: 3.52

 

Poured into a 16 oz Snulip glass canned recent, still not sure why great breweries won’t just date cans. Pours a hazy orange with a finger plus sticky white head that leaves thick streaks of lace with excellent retention. 4.5

Aroma is mango, passionfruit, peach, papaya, apricot, and a hint of grapefruit rind. 4.5

Taste follows passionfruit, papaya, mango, peach, apricot, and white grapefruit incredibly balanced. 4.5

Mouthfeel is spot on for the style with soft gentle almost creamy carbonation, not sticky or dry, pretty big on the palate, and at 8% ABV it goes down really easy. 5

Overall another amazing beer from still in my opinion the best all around in NH. A collaboration from Deciduous Brewing Company and Vitamin Sea Brewing. Insane, thanks to my great friend and soon to be neighbor for picking this awesome sauce up for me. 4.5

 

I showed my kids your dog, and they fell in love until I reminded them who chewed Rosco and Remy's heads off. Now they say you should get a new dog!

 

Sticking with the Oktoberfest theme, this time with a beer sent to me earlier this week from @foundersasap.

3.88/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured into a 1L stein. Aggressive pour yields loads of foamy tan head with excellent retention and lacing. Color is a moderately deep amber. Clarity is slightly cloudier than ideal, but still a great looking beer. Aroma is mostly malt with some herbal undertones and on point for the style. Taste is really nice, with a good crisp, toasty flavor and almost a faint hint of smoke. Just a hit of a bit of hops on the finish. Medium amount of carbonation. Clean and crisp going down. Super easy to drink.

 

G'afternoon NBW-ers!

It's been a while since I participated in a NBS/NBW thread, but I feel that this weekend is as good as any to join in.

My entry for today comes by way of @mschrei

Block 15 Brewing Sticky Hands

Poured from a 16 oz can. Pkgd 08/23/21.
Pours out a hazy golden orange body. White bubbly head that dissipated to a halo ring along the edge of the glass and leaves plenty of tacky lacing.
Strong resinous hoppy aromas of grapefruit and pine, deep and dank.
Taste is all about that resinous pine and citrus. Bitterness and resinous notes coat the tongue. A nice lasting citrus taste of orange and grapefruit lingers.
Overall, a terrific DIPA! Looks great, smells terrific and tastes awesome. A real winner.

Cheers!

 

I love it, Jon. It’s a killer beer and I definitely want one Christmas Eve when I help the kids set out cookies for Santa. It definitely puts me in that holly, jolly, mindset. Cheers, brother.

 

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Samplers and commentators. @FBarber was kind enough to send me two Mystery Beers. I'm reviewing #2 today. The only clue he gave me is "5% ABV." and "Spooky!" (similar clues to Mystery Beer #1). Not knowing what it is, I'll use a pint glass.




I can't tell much from the appearance; it's a cloudy, bright orange with a large, creamy, bright white cap (4.0). The nose is highly fruity. I'm getting lemon, lime, tangerine, bubblegum, and something sweet and creamy. (4.25). It could be a sour ale of some kind. The taste opens with tart, sour citrus balanced by a creamy sweetness (lactose? milk sugar?). There's also a strong cracker malt in the background. Really flavorful (4.25). A kettle sour? The mouth is quite rich and filling with pleasant carbonation (4.0). Overall, this is a unique and tasty beer.

The reveal (the wrapping job is amazing; I had to use my serrated Swiss Army Knife):


Key Lime Pie, a "tart ale with key lime, vanilla, sea salt, and coriander" from Great Notion Brewing! The can says it's 6% ABV. Great Notion distributes to New Jersey but this is my first beer from the brewery. At first I didn't taste the sea salt or coriander but as it warms they're becoming evident - especially the salt. It's a bit Gose-like. Just delightful. Thank you, Frank!

 

We had a neighborhood Halloween party on our street yesterday . “ oh , you have THAT dog…” was said a couple of times . He scares a lot of people because he is a hunter and has ferocious bark . But, in reality , he is a 90 pound lap dog . I am gonna keep this handsome pup

 

Happy Anniversary to you both!

 

Recovering from a cold this weekend, but probably pushed myself a little to hard on my projects, pretty worn out now.
My son picked this up yesterday. We know this brewery well but for some reason have never tried their porter.

3.36/5 rDev -9.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Poured from an undated 16oz can to a diagonally cut tumbler at apporx 45F.
Pour stream is rougly the color of cola, in the glass it appears darker, but redish on the edges. The head is quite impressive though. Almost an inch thick made completely of tiny bubbls as if it was nitro dispensed. This fades as the minutes pass, but glass tilts bring the head back as coating on the freshly exposed areas of the glass.
Aroma is mild but malty and a little sweet.
Taste is a bit of a let down after drinking alot of Founders Porter. I wish I could analyse it better, but it just seems like a watered down version of the Founders with the chocolate notes missing.
Mouthfeel is also thin for the style.and despite the head, I think it could use more carbonation also.
Overall, nothing horrible, just not great.

 

Black Butte XXX III anniversary imperial porter brewed with maple syrup, chocolate, vanilla beans , aged in bourbon barrels

4.16/5 rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4



Bottle received in Lif 14 from @snaotheus

Brewer Notes: Our anniversary edition Black Butte Porter brewed with
maple syrup, chocolate and vanilla beans aged in bourbon barrels.

Black motor oil poured into a Spiegelau glass, pencil thick brown foam immediately evaporates to a thin ring and a few islands

Aroma is maple and chocolate , roasted malts, vanilla, whiff of booze

Taste is roasted malts , maple, chocolate, vanilla ,boozy finish capped off with a roasted malt char lingers in the back of the mouth

Mouthfeel is syrupy , sudsy , sweet then char, bittersweet , booziness

Good beer

 

I'm drinking one of the Side Pocket Saisons now. Review to follow.

 

Yeah, that's a fun one.

 

Giants finally won and out of work for the day. Doing a little outside tasting.
This seems like a good day to drink one Ive been really looking forward to coming courtesy of @2beerdogs awesome BIF box. Cant remember the last time I had an Alpine beer - and its an Imperial IPA!
Bad Boy IIPA
Alpine Beer Company
Pouring a clear orange/gold with a creamy white head that lingers and settles to a thin ring. A burst of tropical fruits greets the nose; pineapple, passionfruit and mango. Sweet cotton candy like cannabis and notes of tangerine and orange.
The taste follows all that mouth filling fruity juicyness and than drops into that classic pine and grapefruit bitterness. The malt is solid and lightly roasted, honey not Pils I suspect. Surprisingly well integrated and balanced for a hefty 9% DIPA. Begs for another after each sip. So easy to drink. Creamy, yet drying on the bitter finish. Feeling big in the mouth without any syrupy heaviness.
A delight for a hophead. Really digging this one Derek! Another winner.
Many Thanks.
May be back with the mystery beer in a bit. Cheers