New Beer Weekend #160

Schell’s has always been on my radar thanks to you Minnesotans @Victory_Sabre1973. If I do get to your homeland one day it may be all I’ll drink, and I’ll go to a Wild game for sure beautiful picture, what beers did you enjoy there on this visit?

 

They had a tasting of 5 of their beers: Deer Brand, Firebrick, Oktoberfest, Shocked, and Fresh Prints IPA. You also got a 12 Oz pour of your choice. I have had all many tines before, but I chose Fresh Prints as mine. They also had their 1919 Rootbeer on tap for the kids, or for those who didn't want a drink. The tour was $10, but considering the samples, and the free full pour, it was very well worth every cent, and then some.

My friend had never been there before, along with the other places in town that I took him to, and just loved it beyond belief.

 

Good morning on new beer Sunday, finally getting around to these Alesmith beers from a mixed 12 pack (bought the pack thinking it was new, but was actually 10 months old, disappointed in the first few beers so took my time getting to these):

Alesmith Limeberry Twist

Appearance: Clear pink, ok head.

Smell: Tart, berries.

Taste: Tartness to start, then the body is a solid raspberry, finishes with more tartness and raspberries.

Overall: I'm not much of a kettle sour fan, but this was a pretty solid fruity “change-up” beer. And unlike the others in the Alesmith mix pack, didn't seem to be diminished from sitting on the shelf for 10 months. Worth a try as a change of pace or if you like raspberries.

Alesmith Clasico

Appearance: Yellow, lots of particles, good head.

Smell: Corny.

Taste: Starts out ok with some corn sweetness, but then finishes with a vegetal and slightly metallic finish. Almost feels a little tequila-ish. I don't think they were going for that as it would have been mentioned somewhere on the can.

Overall: Almost a year old, normally wouldn't review but Alesmith is usually old when on shelves here in MN. I think the breakdown in mid-palate and finish is because it's old. Too bad, started out ok.

 

Welcome one and all to New Beer Sunday #964! My second selection is also from Dave @beergoot , this one a thoughtful choice to allow me to tick my first beer from New Mexico! Got this one fresh as well (five weeks old), but Bocks typically hold up well and prioritized new IPAs for freshness concerns.

Sidebar - The owner of Ex Novo has listed his two Oregon locations for sale in March.

News Article Link & Business Listing Sales Link (1/3 off from OG $1.8M listing price)

I reached out to Todd, but perhaps a Mod can explain if beers will be transferred to the New Mexico location that will remain open, or whether the beers stay with the Portland location and then BAs create new and previous beers from scratch again. I waited for clarification before attempting to adding to their New Mexico listing. Thanks in advance for a response!

Ex Novo Brewing Company Bock Holliday



Can Notes: 16 oz canned 4/5/23, provided via trade with BA Dave @beergoot , refrigerated upon returning home until today. 7.1% ABV German-Style Maibock Lager, Brewed and Packaged in Corrales, New Mexico!

Appearance: Primary and then secondary 1/6 top off pour into a goblet glass. Golden tan body, medium to heavy carbonation, white head lingers for a minute before heading to cling to the rim, with a light cover over a 1/3 of the base. 4.0

Aroma: Cereal, banana clove, heavy malt. Smells like a blended malt liquor and Belgian offering. 2.75

Taste: Similar to the aroma though with notable improvement, especially after I let this warm for about 15 minutes. Getting a nice dinner roll bread malt, a malt presence with a nice hops offset imparting bitterness but I cannot nail the flavor component. Getting light clove, a little pine, but had to really search for any other flavors like looking for lost keys which cannot be found. 3.5

Mouthfeel: Medium to full creamy and flypaper sticky body, drinks easier than the listed ABV, would say 15 + minutes in is where you should start in terms of peak flavor. Lightly dry, sweet flavors balanced by a hard to peg hop presence, clean easy finish. 3.75

Overall: Perhaps if I drank this fresher, totally on me, I would have gotten more hops flavors and a strong hops presence. I reviewed my scores of other Maibock beers, and beyond a local fell in a similar range in terms of personal preferences. Still tastes and feels fine and I am on the second half and happy it's in my glass. 3.5

I still have two cellar appropriate beers from Dave to enjoy this Fall or early Winter that I'm really looking forward to enjoying.

 

Back for another NBW round, and this is a blind beer sent to me by a former member here.


As you can see, this is a blind review, and the review I wrote was written before I knew the beer, though, I could tell the style right away. Here's the reveal.

Always Already Been - Hidden River Brewing - Douglassville, PA - Imperial IPA - 8.6% ABV

This is a good beer. I put it in as an American IPA, though, it could also, probably be classified as a NEIPA. I put it in as American IPA based on the ABV. This is good, and I was glad to try it.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/41542/667034/


4.08/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
This is a blind review. I have no clue to the beer name, company, or style as I write. This is put into the beer listing after the fact. I will also edit this, and put it on UT.

This beer is poured from a 16oz can.

This beer is murky and hazy pouring. Some light does shine through, and it looks more like a lemon color than anything. The head is thick - 3 finger, white, and frothy looking. The head retention overall is pretty long lasting, and there's some decent lacing on the glass. 4.25
There's a light, and pleasing citrus aroma in this beer. Tropical in nature, with notes of pineapple, mango, and grapefruit. 4.25
Taste - The flavor isn't as pronounced as the aroma let on, but the tropical hop flavors are there. Mango, pineapple and grapefruit all make their presence known. 4
The feeling of the hops does linger in my palate, however, they aren't resin/sticky feeling. The feel of this beer is overall pretty good, and pretty much what I'd expect from this style. 4
Overall - This NEIPA is fairly standard, but does tick off all the boxes right. I'm burnt out on the style, overall, but this is a lot better made than most out there. 4


I will be back later for more. Cheers all!

 

Good day BAs! My New Breakfast Beer today is:




Black Lava Baklava – from Lavery Brewing. Four-pack of 12 fl oz cans picked up from Franklin Beer, Franklin, PA. On room temperature shelf at store, purchased 01/08/23, $ 15/4 pack (Including tax), $ 0.312/fl oz. Reviewed 13/08/23 (Review 3146). Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Undated can. Stored at 34 degrees at home. Served at 57.9 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature was 61.3 degrees F.
Appearance – 4.
First pour – Deep Brown (SRM 30), barely translucent.
Body – Black (SRM 40), opaque. Under direct light, same. When rear lite, ruby where the light penetrates at the edges.
Head: Average (Maximum 2.5 cm, aggressive center pour), brown, high density and fizzy, quickly contracting to a 0.3 – 0.4 cm fawn crown and no cap.
Lacing – None.
Aroma – 4.25 – Very weak roasted malt, bourbon, and brown sugar. No yeast, no hops. No ethanol (11.5 % ABV according to the label).
Flavor – 4.5 – Begins slightly sweet with hints of walnuts and cinnamon (My favorite spice!). Very smooth and non-aggressive bourbon barrels. No yeast, no hops. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. Moderate gastric warming but otherwise very smooth.
Palate – 4.5 – Full; creamy; soft carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 4.25 (After deducting 0.25 point for an undated container) An incredibly good stout from a small sort-of-local brewery! What did it cost them for Buffalo Trace barrels? Well worth the expense! Next payday, the rest of my dealer’s supply will be moving into my beer reefer #1.
Rating 4.36, rDev 0% (First review)

 

This explains a couple of things, including why people in the American SW (like @lordofthewiens) were getting Ex Novo beers, and why I would've been somewhat incorrect in attempting to correct you by saying Ex Novo is from Portland, based solely on my visit to the original (pretty sure) location with Lingenbrau a few years ago

 

Ex Novo has been in Corrales, NM for some time.

 

My wife and I went to the Las Cruces Beer Fest last night. I haven't been to a beer fest in some time; things have changed! All the beer was served from cans or bottles, Not a keg to be seen. It was like someone had taken a truckload of beer from a beer store and started passing out beers. I had New Mexico beers, but also beers from Founders, Dogfish Head, and Cigar City, to name a few. No brewery reps, just volunteers passing out beer. There were food trucks, bands, and games to play, all in a family atmosphere. Having said that, we went early and left at nine pm, so who knows what went on from nine to twelve. It was fun!
I do have a new beer for today, Capt. Jack, a maibock from Paradox Brewery (old joke: what's a paradox? A couple of mallards).
A vibrant dark orange color. Small off-white head that disappeared quickly.
Fruity, sweet malt aroma.
Taste starts off rather boozy, then I get some fruit and a lot of malt. Some faint floral hops.
Medium-bodied. Very malt forward.

 

Good morning new beer drinkers! My new to me coffee today comes from Alesmith Brewing Company, “Barrel-Aged Speedway Stout: Coconut Vanilla Edition” (2023):



Canned 4/3/23. A Tavour purchase. Poured at 55°. Dark tan fizzy head disappeared before I could sit down, leaving no cap, ring nor lacing; thin legs at best; black body with ruby edges. Coconut and roast coffee nose; bourbon in retro nasal. Entry is bittersweet dark chocolate, coconut, coffee; bourbon in the background; oaky vanilla as beer warmed. Creamy feel; medium plus body, light carbonation; warmth in mouth from 13.2% abv; slight alcohol burn on tip of tongue; oaky dry barrel finish. Overall, there is great balance; the adjuncts are present and accounted for, the barrel and base flavors match up in equal measure; a bit boozy, but I like that!; would definitely buy/drink again.

3.75 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5
Score: 4.46 rDev +2.8%


A worthy breakfast beer…I hope I see more for sale on Tavour in the future. Cheers and have a great day y’all!

 

Well, back again with another blind review from a former member here. I had a feeling it was a big boy, since it was in a waxed bottle, and it is.

Well, it looked delicious at that point. Reveal

Mexican Brunch - Kane Brewing - Ocean, NJ - Imperial Porter - 12.7% ABV

Oh, boy, did I really mess up my review, and I noted it before it on here. I missed the chili peppers, maple and coffee. I love this beer, as I did the other 2 I have had from them. This is delicious as all get out, but, I think I suck as a blind reviewer. There's no way in hell I could ever become a Cicerone, I just don't have the taste buds for it.

Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/26676/320829/

4.45/5 rDev -1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
This is a blind review. I have no clue to the beer name, company, or style as I write. This is put into the beer listing after the fact. I will also edit this, and put it on UT.

This beer is poured from a bottle.

One thing I will add after the fact: I assumed the heat was from the higher alcohol content, I totally did not get the peppers in the beer. It may not help that I do eat a lot of spicy foods on a daily basis. I also missed the maple and coffee, but can get them now that I know they are there. What I have after this note is written before the reveal. Take that into account.

This beer pours pitch black. No light comes through when I hold it to the light. Thick looking beer with a 1 finger tan head. The head dissipated rapidly to form a nice ring around the glass. No lacing on the glass. This is some kind of stout, and guessing by the poor head retention, an imperial stout. 4.5
Aroma This has to be some kind of BA imperial stout. The aroma screams it. I am getting so much plum from it. I also get tons of chocolate, raisin and fig. Hints of caramel also show up to tickle my nose. 4.5
Taste - Well, my first sip I was thinking I was confused, because it wasn't drinking Imperial, but it did kick in on the 2nd. I get so much dark fruit - raisin, plum, fig. I get some smooth chocolate here. I also get caramel notes. I am thinking this might be barrel aged. It just seems like it could be. 4.5
Body - When I had my first taste, and was confused, it was because the body, while full and boozy, does seem light to me. Now this is to not say it's a full beer, it is full. This beer does tell me it's high octane, but I don't know how high writing this. It's a sipper for sure. 4
Overall - I do enjoy beers in the stout camp, and this is in that camp. I am not sure it's barrel aged as I write this, but I do know this is a delicious beer, and I'm glad I tried it. 4.5


I think I'll have another later today, but I'm done blind reviewing for the day after this.

 

Hey what's going on!

Taking it easy this busy Sunday, and enjoying a new beer!

Here's what I got to start the day!

Purrkatory - Fat Orange Cat Brew Co.



Poured from the can into a teku glass.

A deep rich two finger mocha brown head, quite dark, but manages a bit of quick dissolve to a fairly pencil thin collar. Nearly black, but tinged dark walnut brown body color that is almost matte like in appearance.

Muted sense of dark chocolate on the nose, but more a classic dark molasses flavor on the aroma. Hints sticky and sappy, and sadly not much of a coffee angle note. Minimal sense of sweetness as well.

Palate seems to make little of a statement. More of the lactose shows up in the mid palate hinting of some cream, and more sweetness. The balance hits with some coffee action, but a stronger sour molasses quality still kicks in and overpowers. The mouthfeel is decent and supportive with a lactose sweetness that brings out a nice milky quality. Finish has more of the coffee flavor, nutty slightly but still muted with the molasses quality that dominates still.

This is decent, but unfortunately doesn't have a good fronting coffee flavor I was hoping for.

look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75 | BA generated score: 3.79/5

Cheers!

 

This brew is alright. Very easy drinking. Pretty light all around and what I kind of expected from Shiner.
Shiner Oktoberfest Marzen 5.7%ABV
3.47/5 rDev +3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
12 oz bottle into a Becher glass.
L: Pours crystal clear rust amber with a 1" soapy light khaki head, VG retention, steady carbo bubbles, minimal light scattered lacing.
S: Slightly metallic, floral, caramelized malts.
T: Lightly sweet caramelized malts, a touch of honey, a light hint of citrus zest, very lightly metallic, lightly bitter & dry in the finish. Gently sweet overall.
F: Smooth, lightly creamy med-light body with a gentle med-fast lightly drying finish.
O: Everything about this beer is light. It is well balanced with a pleasant aroma and is easy drinking with a smooth flow. It is good in its style.

 

It appears I was a little zealous in cleaning up my Imgur account last night

 

One and done for me today. This is Sahati, from The Ale Apothecary. It's a "Wild fermentation ale brewed with spruce needles & honey, aged in wine barrels", and it's delicious.

Bottled September 17, 2020

Fairly appealing beer in both appearance and aroma. Pours a rusty red / brown. The carbonation wasn't crazy on the pour, but there's a very persistent thing cap and thick ring. Aroma is really tart with clear wine notes.

Taste is really, really interesting. It's tart with an interesting sweetness (presumably from the honey), but what really stands out to me is the spruce needles and how deftly they have been incorporated into this beer. They show up mid-palate and linger on the finish, and add a great dimension to the beer. Add that to the wine barrel notes, and this is wonderfully complex, balanced and tasty,

Overall, very well done. I've had spruce in beer before, but not this expertly executed.