New Beer Weekend #236

@bluejacket74 that one has been on my list to buy since I saw it. Didn’t need it at the time but I may just buy anyway so it doesn’t sell out places.

Your review made me even more excited to try.

 

I don't need most beer, but I always try and pick up ones that I'm really interested in!

 

My favorite place to drop in on the weekends, it has been nice reading the reviews thus far and now I will finally add mine for the weekend. The last of the Jack's Abby that @KP7 sent me, still got a big old stout he sent too, I'll wait for the right time for that one. This is a beer style I've never heard of before so going in completely blind, having already written my notes this is almost like a half imperial stout in lager form; quite different and good. Here it is...

Jack’s Abby - Don’t Call it a Culmbach (Export Lager 6.5%)



Pours almost black, quieter pour; impression of a heftier lager; light brown head builds then settles to a nice little cap.

Nose is dark cocoa, light ash that hints at smoke, roasted malt, some licorice; fruity chocolate upon warming.

Taste is rich, bread like substance but taste is lightly burnt toast; chocolate hinting at brownies; creamy black coffee on the finish, pleasant lingering aftertaste.

Body is medium, lower carbonation gives creamy and smooth feeling, there is a light bitterness then some hint of abv; very light warmth with some nasal hint of alcohol.

This beer is different and unique, like I said above it's like a medium size stout in lager form; this includes a creamy smooth body, and this beer heavily relies on malt. The label mentions hops but I really get nothing that hints at their presence. Thanks for sending me what possibly will be the only Kulmbacher I ever try @KP7.

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Big sports weekend in this house, Leafs Sens tonight in the "freezer" where I'll be sipping the rest of this beer, then the big one...Eagles NFC Championship game!!! We'll be over at in laws and I hope to share a really cool and special new beer with my beer loving brother in law so hopefully I can post it, it's in a green bottle and has locally foraged green stuff in it. I think it's a sign...GO BIRDS!!!!!

 

I'm part of a club called overthinkers anonymous...I didn't ask to be in this club and I can't get out. I need to escape the house though, we've been pent up all week and day so you may see a post in the haul thread later today or tomorrow

 

Ooh, that's a bingo! [/QUOTE]

I never tire of that line or the movie!

 

Kings county 4am pils. I feel like I've had it before but must have reviewed it?? I haven't been on my a game lately
....very clear amber appearance with no visible head
...close to medium carbonation and around a medium body
...aroma is a nice mix of yeasty doughy bread,sweet floral and some cereal
...overall I find it to be a really flavorful enjoyable attempt at the style. At 4% abv I could easily down a few of these in a row and totally satisfied

 

I found this one a bit odd as well and love your description of half stout. I was hoping this would be like the Tonewood stout you sent me--big dark malts and big hops, but didn't get any hops here either. I've got a few more in the fridge and need to put together a review and NBW post at some point. Still a lot of other new beers in the fridge grabbing my attention, though.

Glad you enjoyed the contents of the box on the whole. That last one is just a bonus--if you like it great, if not then at least you got to try it. Might be a little too big knowing the types of beers we both prefer.

 

I really love the flavor and mouthfeel combination it has. Thanks again for all the great beers. I’m looking forward to the bonus beer too

I will note too…Mrs Phisher normally doesn’t like dark beers but she enjoyed a nice little pour of it as well.

 

Hey, everybody. Quiet day here, mostly staying warm watching the Bruins and Celtics. Thought about filling the bird feeders... It's not deep freeze temps here but it's amazing what a little breeze does.

Took a flyer on this one. Not sure what I'm in for:



Proclamation Ales The Floor is Barleywine, an 11-ish %ABV English style barleywine.

Pours a very clear mahogany color with a lively but short-lived half inch tan head. No residual bubbles, but decent "legs" on the glass.

The smell is sweet, bready malts accompanied by some mild dark fruit - figgy. A little toffee as well and a slight nuttiness. There's just a little alcohol smell.

The taste follows but there is more sweetness. Malty, but more of the toffee and sweetness. There's some fig and date fruitiness. A bit of a peppery sting and a little alcohol. There's a fresher fruit flavor as well - plum and maybe a little pear- that is quite pleasant. A little hazelnut peeks out once in a while.

Feel is a little creamy but the body is a bit light for the style. Mildly warming. Gently carbonated.

Overall, this is a nice enough beer. I think we have a pretty high and unfair benchmark for barleywines thanks to Barreled Souls. This isn't at that level, but it's tasty, doesn't break the bank, and hits the style markers pretty well. Thinking 3.8 or so.

 

Glad she liked it! Happy to help keep the Mrs happy so she let's you hang out on BA!

 

Every year Griffin Claw has a mixed 4 pack of BBA Imperial Stouts, 3 of which are usually along the pastry stout style. This year (2024) followed that pattern.

Rocky Road, has plenty of chocolate, marshmallow, nuts and vanilla. Some vanilla and bourbon sneaked in too.
The feel is a little on the lighter side, but well within the expectation. Mine at least.
OA, it’s a tasty stout, not too sweet at all. Still think I like the non-pastry stout better but it conveys the flavors as advertised.
Cheers all!

 

Ozark Beer Co. Shagbark Brown made with toasted Shagbark ( a type of Hickory tree ), 5.5% ABV; 4.19 overall

Pours an effervescent hazel/chestnut with a pinky of tight tan head. Average head retention & better lacing

S: Pretty toasty, some brown sugar notes

T: Toasty, nutty, woody hops/bitterness, traces of brown sugar & dryness up front. Toasty sweetness, dryness, a little woody hop & a kiss of pine as this beer warms up. Finishes with some brown sugar sweetness, a little molasses, toasty & a little piney

MF: Medium body, moderate carbonation, good balance

Interesting one off, but the large format bottles seem sort of gimmicky for a fairly low ABV brown, pretty easy to drink. Great flavor profile

 

One from my Kansas haul, about outta new beer from that trip

Epic Brewing Big Bad Baptist Naked Baptist, 13.0% ABV; 4.19 overall

2021 bottle pours an effervescent ebony with one finger of mocha colored head. Average-ish head retention & slightly better lacing, viscous

S: Molasses, chocolate, some vanilla. Some figs, booze & caramel once warm, hints of dark rum

T: Dark chocolate, a little coffee, some roastyness & dryness, some smoky notes as well up front. Caramel surfaces as this beer warms up, along with cocoa, roastyness, a kiss of booze, a little dark chocolate & molasses, traces of leafy hops. Finishes with mocha, a touch of booze bite, figs & some roasty notes

MF: Medium body dialed back carbonation, warming. Just enough carbonation to push the flavor along

Superb drinkability for a bruiser such as this

 

Slight edit: 4.14 overall

 

The 4pk was quaffed quickly. 2 guys in the band like it. 2 guys are sayin' ok. I liked it. Cheers!
Weldwerks Upward Spiral DDH IPA
3.86/5 rDev -5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
16 oz can into a shaker pint glaas.
L: pours clear, thin white head, mild carbo, not much lacing.
S: lightly catty, caramelized malts, candied fruits, distant melon.
T: caramel malts, lightly herbal & fruity hop notes, a hint of plum, green melon rind and black tea have bitter notes in the finish, gently sweet.
F: lightly brisk then smotth. Medium bodied feel with a medium-long finish that has a light linger. There is a sensation of very light grit.
O: A very easy drinking American IPA. Simple tastes, non-challenging, and fresh tasting. It is Very Good.

 

Good to see you back in the threads, Les! Cheers

 

I join @muchloveforhops3 in welcoming @LesDewitt4beer back to our threads, and welcome everyone to join in on New Beer Sunday #1040! My selection as promised yesterday is from the first brewery I passed the 100 oz mark this year. This selection was part of an exchange at the July Sheboygan gathering and provided by @Danmullens1 , who I saw just recently reviewed this and really liked it. Hoping and expecting a similar experience.

Goose Island Kaleidoscope Cuvee

4.42/5 rDev +2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5



1/26/25 - (Bottle - Home) (Chicago, IL) Bottle Notes: Obtained via in person exchange with @danmullins on July 19, 2024. Refrigerated at home until opening this morning. 12 oz., 14.0% ABV. Assuming this was bottled February 27, 204 based on the drink by February 27, 2029 @ 7:38 PM date. Barrel aged Cuvee Ale. Brewed, barrel-aged and bottled by Goose Island Barrel House, Goose Island Beer Company, Chicago, IL.

Appearance: Poured full glass into a Goose Island BCBS Snifter, yielding a near black base, a generous bubbly head that lasts a few minutes before leaving a creamy thin cover over the base and more build up around the rim. Very nice. 4.5

Aroma: Let this one sit for 20 minutes yielding a rum lead, nicer than my mixed historical rum experiences, followed by a smooth bourbon, red wine. Light base of bakers chocolate, with raisins, plums and a touch of maple syrup. Mild to medium in strength, solid in enjoyment. Really like the breadth featured in this cuvee. 4.25

Taste: Twenty minutes from pouring yields a deep pull of rich flavors, starting with a fresh chocolate fudge batter base, followed by rum, perhaps because I can be sensitive to that flavor profile. It's quite good. Then the backing raisins, plums and figs. can feel and taste the maple syrup as well. Everything blends quite excellently, nearly halfway through quickly. 4.5

Mouthfeel: Sticky medium plus body, drinks at the strong 14% ABV. Lightly sweet overall, though the bakers chocolate and barrel treatment keep things near balanced, more balanced than expected with the rich sweet flavors bursting through. Barrel a bit mellow in terms of strength, but enjoying the flavors I develop. Well done, with a chocolate fudge and light rum whiskey finish. 4.25

Overall: This cuvee is better than the sum of its parts. Rich base, nice fig and dark fruits, subtle blend of whiskey and rum, light wine notes, maple syrup with a soft touch. All come together in a great overall selection. I really enjoyed my Dapper Rye yesterday, but this one topped it. Thank you Dan for your generosity. I will be looking for future cuvee and releases from the barrelhouse which meet and like this one exceed the more hyped and more pricey BCBS releases. 4.5

My instincts were correct this time saving this selection for Prime Time Sunday, and while my Dapper Rye was a solid option, this one tops it for the depth and expression of several very enjoyable flavors. Thanks again Dan!