New Beer Weekend #217

Mango

 

Continuing my tour of the Unibroue mixed box, Trois Pistoles:

Appearance: Dark brown, good head.

Smell: A little clove note, slightly tart dark fruit.

Taste: Interesting and complex. Raisin fruit, prunes, some kind of slightly tart dark fruit like in the smell. Earthy, Belgian yeast spiciness. Lasting yeasty/spicy finish.

Overall: A good strong dark ale, comes in more on the spicy/yeasty side than the rich-sweet-malty side that I prefer from quadrupels and strong dark ales. Still very interesting and tasty.

 

Weihenstephaner/St. Benardus Braupakt Blonde Ale, 6.5% ABV; 4.16 overall

Pours a chill-hazed & bubbly gold with a pinky of eggshell colored head. Drops bright, average-ish head retention & lacing

S: Perfumy hops, pears, grassyness, green bananas & phenols once warm

T: Follows the nose, white grapes & a little green apple skin up front, a touch of cloves as well. Yeast asserts itself as this beer warms up, some green banana, a touch of lemon & plenty of pear, just a little white grape & dryness too. Finishes with a little white, grape, pear, dryness & plenty of green banana

MF : Medium body, delicate carbonation

This offering leans Belgian for sure, a sipper to be sure. Liked it, didn't quite love it

 

These biers are wild!

 

From the Untappd O'fest box comes this beauty:

Notch Fest Bier

Really lovely, to the surprise of no one. Rich with flavor, bread crust, Graham crackers, herbal hops, all in perfect harmony. No rough edges whatsoever. Initially I would have tweaked the honeyish sweetness down a smidge and bitterness up the same smidge, but by mid glass that's all sorted out. I'm very glad to have tried it and would buy again if I could. A (4.4)

 

Hans Blank at Wildwuchs

 

Perle Haggard from Ex Novo. Preliminary review below. Cheers!

3.99/5 rDev +1.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
16oz can (packaging date illegible) into an English pint. Pours a crystal clear pale golden color with a 1-finger head that settles to a thin film. Steady carbonation.

Aroma is a subtle blend of grainy/biscuity and fruity/floral notes, along with a rich of freshly cut grass.

Taste leads off with a delicate sweetness followed quickly by very light floral hoppy bitterness. The same slightly grainy/bready quality from the malt is there as well.

Mouthfeel is crisp and light, drinkable.

Overall a solid pilsner, pretty standard, well-executing offering for the style.

 

Hofbrau - fest



Nice to have this in cans, I think first time I’ve bought it in ages cos of the can. Still doesn’t fill my mug!

Anyhow, lovely pint. Hint of sweetness throughout, some herbal bitterness. Very clean and approachable though straddling the line of complex. It’s reminiscent of Weihenstephan. Mouthfeel is a smidge lighte - perhaps I should say “glossier”.

Anyhow, wonderful beer and I’ll grab 4 more especially as it cools off. Cheers!

 

Good afternoon NBW
I was hoping to add my 43rd country tick today, but a beer purchased in a Cincinnati grocery store imported from half way around the world is apparently unknown to the BA universe. The brewery is not listed either, so it will take a hot minute to get it all added. I'll start with the review here, and work backwards.


Lebanese Brew by Gravity Brewing S.A.L

11.2oz green bottle Best Before February 06 2025 poured into a pilsner glass at fridge temp 4.3% ABV. The beer pours mostly bright golden amber with nearly white head. The head recedes to a thin ring and island. The aroma is moderate in strength and overwhelming skunk (I purchased this single at room temp on an exposed shelf, not shocking). The taste is actually ok with gentle, neutral malt and yeast driven esters...and still a little skunk. Mild bitterness. Mouthfeel is thin bodied with average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Overall, does not taste anything like a pilsner, which is how they labeled it.

I'll probably stumble through the process of adding the brewery and beer to the database if it doesn't turn up in further investigation. Hope my Sri Lankan and Korean beers are already there. Cheers all!

 

Drekker Ice Ice Prrrty - Guava, Lemon-Lime, Coconut Slush Style Sour, 7% ABV. Pour thick an opaque pink with a one finger pink head (though pic makes it look orange) that left puree residue. Aroma is strong lemon/lime, guava, and coconut. Taste is pretty much lemon/lime, stealing the show as usual, slightly sweet, moderately tart. OK mouthfeel very good.

4.04/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

 

Always nice seeing you around these parts

My post today was a bout a new NJ brewery down here; lager centric, all local malt, and impressive prior resumes. Doubt they’re up your way just yet but maybe eventually.

 

Goldfinger Pils


4.1/5 rDev -3.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

New brewery , new beer for me , saw @FBarber review and wanted to try this brewery

Brewers notes : Our Pils is a beautiful representation of German pilsner malt and noble hops. This beer is for the drinker who prefers a little more hop presence with a subtle bite that dissipates smoothly into a depth of floral, herbal, and honey flavor. We pour this beer slowly (be patient, it’s worth it!) over the course of approximately five minutes to allow all of the aromas and flavors to meld into your glass and deliver it to you with a soft pillowy head. The inspiration for this beer comes from Brewer Tom’s unforgettable experience drinking his favorite Pilsner in the German Alps.

Canned 6.14, opened 9.14

Chilled 16 oz can poured into a Monhegan glass. I read @FBarber review of this brewery and had wanted to try it

Clear golden liquid active carbonation streams fluffy one finger white foam cap , no lacings

Aroma has a faint grassiness, softly floral

Taste is grassy, floral

Mouthfeel is dry bright , soft hop kiss on the finish

Good beer

 

Ooh, lucky you! Sounds like a great place. Here's hoping I can get them up here soon enough.

 

Lord hobo 617 lager
...semi clear yellow/orange appearance with a thin but lasting head
...medium bodied and about the same for the carbonation
...aroma is simple but a really nice mix of cereal,grain,malt and very mild floral and citrus.
...taste has a bit of a sweet touch then the grain and cereal show up. Again floral/citrus thats hard to fully describe
...im definitely a fan of lagers and this was a hit in every category

 

New to me and new to BA - pretty good, if not especially impressive offering from Smog City (#5 in their "Haze Craze" series) - nice and fresh at least - cheers!

3.69/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

Packaged on August 30th, 2024 - enjoyed on September 14th, 2024 - poured from a pint can into my Dogfish Head shaped pint glass.

Murky golden peach liquid supports a lasting finger of papaya whip cream. Soapy soft peaks; sticky lacing; very good retention.

Potent candy-coated tropical fruit aroma suggests passion fruit, papaya, and mango. Some lime and berry and a hint of herbs further down.

Orange Julius, Push-up Pops, Tang, and Jolly Ranchers on the palate. Juicy but not excessively sweet. Crackery malt base with hints of vanilla wafers. Low to moderate bitterness throughout. Medium-dry finish with a faint white grape quality. Neutral yeast.

Chewy, medium body - somewhat tannic and fairly warming for the ABV. Not chalky.

Decent, potently aromatic hazy IPA, but comes across as artificial somehow.

 

Grimm hefeweizen
...very cloudy pale gold with more head than I ever thought I needed
...light carbonation with a slightly thin body yet it still adds up to a nice feel
...aroma is banana, wheat, with some earthy dry banana peel
...taste is very similar to aroma,not amazing but okay
...overall its good but just seems to be lacking a certain something

 

My dinner beer, courtesy of the wondrous @WunderLlama.
Forgot to put in the photo!


The pour was an opaque (more unfiltered than hazy) yellow with a one inch, dense foam head that left rings and rings of lacing.
The taste is crammed full of pitted fruit (apricot, peaches, plums) and some grapefruit mixed with orange juice. I really like both the featured hops (Citra and Cashmere) and they used them well.
The feel is one I only get when oats are involved. Not quite viscous, it has an almost creamy texture.
OA, if it weren’t for the ABV, I could drink these daily.
Good beer!

 

Next up:

Jack's Abby Munich Fest

On one hand, it's encouraging to see American brewers do well with this style. Malt and hop character is just right for the style; no rough edges, very rounded; starts off malty but ends very nicely dry (the beer's best feature). However...

I want to turn everything up in volume. It's not watered down, necessarily, but still not as deep as the best examples. Saturated and rich yet incredibly drinkable is where the magic happens, but I'm not feeling magic here. Just a really tasty beer. A- (4.0)