New Beer Weekend #123

Good Saturday evening, New Beer Weekenders. After reading numerous reviews of this years Coffee BCBS from respected BAs I wasn't sure what to expect. It's sort of a mixed bag: good coffee flavor but rather sweet and acidic and a fairly lite in mouth feel.

It pours a dark walnut color with almost a finger of frothy, medium-mocha colored head and sheen of lacing. The rich nose offers roasted malt, freshly-brewed coffee, cocoa, caramel/toffee, brown sugar, burnt nuts, and earthy char. It's chocolate forward with acidic coffee grounds, toffee, and earthy, burnt nutty char. The bourbon barrel influence is noticeable but subtle and adds modest sweetness. Overall, I'd describe the taste and sweet and acidic. The mouth feel is rather lite for such a big Stout. The carbonation level is low and it doesn't drink like 13.2% ABV.

4.41/5 rDev -5.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

I seem to be in the middle on this BCBS variant. It's a nice Stout for sure but not worth $25. I'll review another tomorrow. Cheers!

 

This variant certainly has mixed reviews. While I rated it somewhere in the middle I'm bothered by the price point. It's not worth almost double the base BCBS.

 

It sounds fabulous but in my area it's over 40 bucks a bottle. I can't bring myself to spend that much for 16.9 oz. of beer.

 

It was $35 to $40 here. None of them are worth what they charge. I wonder how much they'd be if they were still independent Goose Island?

 

Breakfast beer as I watch a bunch of turkeys running around chasing each other in my next door neighbor's yard? Why not.

Reinoso - BBA Imperial Stout with coffee from Odd Side - received courtesy of @foundersasap

Appearance is dark brown with a half inch of dense khaki colored head with good retention that receded to a thin cap and ring. Aroma is rich with loads of chocolate and coffee. Very enticing on the nose.

On the tongue it's reversed from the nose, with coffee taking the lead and chocolate singing backup along with the bourbon barrels. There's another flavor that I can't quite put a finger on that's very different than what I usually get in BBA stouts. Slick in the mouth with nice alcohol warming. Little to no bitterness.

Overall, very good breakfast beer.

 

Up and at em'

This beer is thanks to @MonDak_Joe1953 .

Pretty Mama - Belgian Blonde - Icewind Brewing - Mapleton, ND - 6.3% ABV

This beer looks quite good, and smells ok. The flavor, well, I think I know what they were trying to do, but they missed the mark a bit. This beer needs a bit of work. I might search out this brewery, when I'm in ND next year, and see what else they have.

Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/60622/627896/

3.06/5 rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3
This beer pours somewhere between golden and amber colored. The head is quite thick - 3 finger - and off white colored. The retention is decent, and there's a bit of lacing on the glass.
The aroma is grassy and grainy smelling. The malts seem slightly roasted smelling.
Taste - It is grassy and earthy tasting. There's a bit of sweetness up front. The sweetness is almost like eating an apple. That apple turns quite bitter on the backside. This bitterness isn't really pleasing at all.
The body is decent, and not watery. That bitter flavor does coat my throat, and just doesn't feel right at all.
I know what they were trying to do here, however, it needs some work.


Be back later with more. Cheers!

 

Good day BAs! Back again with another New Breakfast Beer. I've been holding off cracking my BCBS bottles until I figured out the windows 11 "improvement" for photos - only three extra steps and now I can upload again!

Today's New Breakfast Beer:



Warm Welcome Nut Brown Ale from Ridgeway Brewing, imported by lime Ventures, Concord, CA. 500 mL bottle picked up at World Market, SAT. On room temperature display at store. Stored at 34 degrees at home. Reviewed 27/11/22. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Rear label poorly stamped “L24 222”. Served at 54.5 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature is 59.1 degrees.
Appearance – 3.5.
First pour – Medium Amber (SRM 12), clear.
Body – Medium Amber (SRM 12), translucent. Under direct and rear light, same. This chill haze disappears, and the beer clears and sports a reddish hue.
Head – Average (Maximum 3.8 cm, aggressive center pour), beige, high density with a few small rocks, quickly diminishing to an undulating 1.1 to 1.3 cm medium density crown and thin, rocky cap.
Lacing – Fair. A wide thin band of tiny bubbles with a few larger holes. Above the band is a disintegrating band leaving many tiny pieces of foam.
Aroma – 3 – Very weak malt and neither hops nor yeast. Extremely weak nuttiness that sent me to the kitchen to sniff nuts – not pecans, walnuts, pistachios, cashews, or peanuts. Maybe chestnuts, but I haven’t found any this year, so who knows?
Flavor – 3.5 – Slightly bitter like biting down on part of a walnut pericarp. No yeast, but a slight maltiness is noted. No ethanol (6.5% ABV as marked on label) aroma or taste. No gastric warming occurs. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl.
Palate – 3.5 – Thin, watery, soft but lively carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 3.5 Well. Every year I trundle to World Market while I’m in SAT to look for Ridgeway beers, weird foods in strange packages, and cheap Glühwein. This year the food was the tastiest of the three. Not that the beer was bad – the bitterness just seemed a bit much for the light body. The weak unidentifiable nuttiness didn’t help either. I can’t find the sales receipt, but these Ridgeway brews usually run $5 - $6 a bottle so at least it was cheap.

Rating 3.38, rDev -0.3%

 

Those scores are pretty world class, not in the middle!
I had my first last night and thought it was fantastic. The only possible knock is it being a little thin, but the base is thin this year

 

Sounds like this has been a very strong year for bcbs. They needed it after the last two imo.

 

Unless you were a Buckeye fan, then one 12% beer probably wasn't enough

 

Welcome one and all to New Beer Sunday #927! Returning with a nice and easy beer to close out the weekend after some heavy hitters and several beers and shots meeting up with friends yesterday afternoon.

This beer is a German Style Pilsner I've heard good things about.

Urban Chestnut Stammtisch



Bottle Notes: 17.2 oz 5.4% ABV bottled10/19/22 @8:22 AM purchased for $3.00 from Beer on the Wall. German-Style Pilsner, Brewed and Bottled in Saint Louis, Missouri.

Reverence Series #8, Stammtisch is an informal group meeting held on a regular basis - more directly translating to 'table for regulars'. Our Stammtisch is a traditional German-Style Pilsner and a perfect accompaniment to any friendly gathering. Prost!

Appearance: Multiple pours into a slender tall Pilsner glass. Light clear yellow straw base, persistent and long lasting carbonation throughout, generous head leaves clumpy lacing in its wake. 4.5

Aroma: Noble hops shining well, cracker malt, salt and pepper, lemon grass. Consistent with the style and very enticing. 4.25

Taste: Consistent with the aroma, nice lightly salty cracker, pepper, lemongrass, floral notes. Just what I am looking for. 4.5

Mouthfeel: Everything in proper balance, flavors flow naturally and are enjoyable. Very light and easy, below the 5.4% ABV. Carbonation consistently gentle. Lightly dry, crisp drinking, light body, clean finish. 4.75

Overall: This is a really well craft Pilsner, hits all my preferences and so enjoyable. Not sure if this is a regular offering or periodic, but will seek this out in the future. 4.5

Well, three out of four excellent new beers, plus appearances by some old favorites (Tighthead Longsnapper and KBS) made this a weekend to remember. Going to finish catching up with the thread and enjoy this rainy quiet Sunday in Chicago.

Prost!

 

Greetings, all,
I came down to my hometown on Friday morning for "Fridaysgiving" at my folks place, as Friday worked better for the holiday meal than Thursday both for myself and my brother's family. So we ate ourselves into conditions approaching comas on a day without NFL football games. Instead we played black jack, something my 12-yr old niece is really into for math nerd reasons. Even Junebug, the Dog-niece, got in on the action.

Unfortunately, she wasn't very good at it and busted immediately.

No new beers were consumed by yours truly, although I brought a 4-pk of local and regional IPAs and some other goodies.
My brother was very impressed with a tallboy of Citra Slicker, less so with the magnum of Iron Goat Fragaria I opened up, saying, "I don't like it, but it's not bad," which I found hilarious. I brought a Hunapu that was courtesy of @Roguer, but it looks like I'll be taking it back home with me tomorrow.

 

My first job was at the University of South Carolina, and I have always rooted for their sports teams. For the most part, they're not very good. Yesterday they were up against the hated Clemson Tigers. Carolina had a seven game losing streak against them, but after the way they handled Tennessee last week gave me some hope. And I was rewarded with a 31-30 Carolina victory. Go Cocks!
Today the big boys get to play. Looking forward to some good games. My new beer for today is Barista, from Burlington Brewing Company.
Very dark brown color, tiny beige head, no lace.
Mostly coffee aroma, some chocolate.
Strong coffee taste, think fresh-brewed espresso. Tiny bit of chocolate.
Medium-bodied. If you are a coffee drinker, this beer's for you.

 

Breaking into a glorious Imperial stout today from Rob @MacMalt courtesy of his generous return fire in BIF 16.

Pours a cola brown with a decent oatmeal head reducing to a thin ring, lots of sudsy lacing. Nose is bitter chocolate, cola, coffee, and peanuts. Taste follows suit with a subtle sweet vanilla/marshmallow note. Feel is fairly thin given the ABV and the additives. Overall, fairly good. 3/5.

Cheers all.

 

Its a beautiful day out. So out in my courtyard with a book I go. I think this is my last new beer for the long holiday weekend.

3 Fonteinen Hommage. Blended Fruit Lambic, 6% ABV.


Pours purple/blood red color. A small pink/white head forms initially. Though that recedes quickly with little lace. That color is really stunning though.
Aromatic and tart berries and cherries up front and center. With an unmistakable earthy funk. There is a bit of oak and vanilla here as well. A really pungent and sharp aroma that I enjoy.
Taste wise...oh boy, that sweet tart berry/cherry mix is there. Which becomes super acidic and sour. That funk, light oak and vanilla is there as well. Which tries to help balance. Though that acidic sourness becomes a little to much and makes this unbalanced for me.
A medium body that has a nice crisp bite. Really well carbonated. Definitely some sweetness as would be expected, but finishes with a dry bite as well. Pretty classic for the style, but still its slow going. That acidity takes over to much.

I love 3 Fonteinen, and this is a good example of the style for sure. Though it is unbalanced for me. There are other Fruit Lambic's that I prefer over this, but still you have to acknowledge that this is exactly what they wanted to make, and I do enjoy it. Just not love it as much as others in the style, or even others from this same brewery. I would recommend this, if you enjoy intense flavors, especially sour acidic cherries, but not my preferred version.

Overall score is 3.7, B territory for me, but that might just be a bit low.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/2216/39096/?ba=champ103#lists

 

Back for another round or 4.
I went over to my local - Back Shed Brewing for a couple of beers, and here they are:

The Gourd Giveth - Kettle Sour - 6.4% ABV
3.65/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Murky golden pour with a white head when poured from the tap.
Nose has a hint of graham cracker in it. No pumpkin spice aromas.
Flavor starts out with graham cracker. It switches on the back to some lactose and pumpkin spice. The spices are very mellow. There's a bit of sweetness and a bit of tartness that are in the mix.
The body is good. The feeling of tartness lingers.
Delicious.


Paunchy & Left Eye - Oatmeal Stout - 6.9%
3.75/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Copied from mu UT review: 3.75 on UT.
Pitch black pour with a tan head. Not much nose. The beer starts out slightly chocolate flavor. Some lactose does come into the mix. There's a slight bitterness that is pleasing and works. Reminds me of dark chocolate. Lighter body. Pretty good.

I'll post more later.

 

The nice thing is you can just recap it and put it back in the fridge and it'll taste just fine for days. And then you had a Private Press beer? Sounds like a fantastic evening!