New Beer Weekend #248

Happy (hoppy?) Easter - this collaboration didn't quite live up to the potential of either contributing brewery, but I'm enjoying the fresh can I purchased in any case - cheers!

3.8/5 rDev -2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Packaged on 4/7/2025 - imbibed on 4/20/2025 - poured from a pint can into my Dogfish Head shaped pint glass.

Clear citrine body with a fist of ivory up top. Rocky lacing; very good retention.

Potent hop aroma, suffused with passion fruit, citrus (grapefruit, tangerine) zest, and a hint of chives/mint.

Bright palate entry is quickly subsumed by sweetness suggesting caramel, orange juice, and berry Starburst. Some biscuity/crackery malt notes but the flavor profile leans into the residual sugars and the finish never quite dries out. Moderate zesty bitterness throughout.

Medium-full bodied with hefty carbonation - almost but never quite crisp.

Wonderful appearance and aroma, but not as attentuated as I would prefer.

 

2000, 3000, just inches here. I agree, a lot of value in their "value" line, something that is capable of easily being 80-90% toward a 1926/1964.

 

Despite a fridge full of new-to-me beers, guests showed up with more today. I gotta get "working". Digging in first to Extra Extra Bayou Juice, a collab from Weldworks and Parish. This is an 8.2% Hazy double with Cascade, Citra, El Dorado, Mosaic & Simcoe hops.

4.16/5 rDev -2.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Received in a Halftime delivery at ambient temperature but refrigerated immediately and until served. Poured from a 16 oz can dated 02/27/25 to a bulbous, tulip-like glass.
Pours out medium hazy gold, probably SRM 5. A short, multi-size white head sits above. Lacing is full sheet on glass tilt, most slides back, but dots cling to the glass tenaciously.
Smell is mildly strawberry with an even more subtle citrus background.
The taste is berry and citrus as the smell previewed, but there is more. Mango, papaya and other non-citrus tropicals seem to rule.
The mouthfeel is medium for the style. Carbonation is appropriate. Alcohol only noticeable on the finish, but not in a bad way.
This is a pretty good beer. Glad I could try it, but it's probably never to be available to me again.

 

On my way home from the family get together, and my car had to make a pitstop at Montgomery Brewing in Montgomery, MN.

Cones Brigade - American IPA- 7.2%

I love a good IPA that has a nice pine flavor. This one does have that. I made the right choice in beer today.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/38353/742230/
3.98/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
On tap at the brewery.

I like how clear this beer pours. It has a nice golden color to it. There was a white head that did dissipate fairly quickly. No lacing on the glass.
The aroma is dominated by the hops. I get a nice big hit of pine from this beer. I also get a hint of dank and earthy aromas.
Taste - the flavor is a nice pine flavor from the hops. This flavor lingers throughout the experience. There's hints of a dank and earthy flavor coming through. There's a nice pleasing bitterness that hits on the back and builds.
The body does feel decent. I like how the feeling from the hops, the bitterness, lingers in my throat.
Damn tasty beer. I really am happy when I can get a good pine bomb.

I will have another when I get home in a couple of hours. Cheers!

 

Omnipollo Barrel Aged Banana Cookie Kooks Imperial Stout, 15.4% ABV. Pours thick and black, with a small ring of brown bubbles. Aroma is chocolate, vanilla, bourbon, banana, and coffee. Taste follows, quite sweet, slightly bitter. Thick and smooth mouthfeel, with light carbonation. Overall excellent.

4.31/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

This stout could have been incredible if someone wasn't cleaning out their kitchen cabinets when dreaming this beer up. Add-junks include; banana, cacao nibs, vanilla beans, standout coffee, digestives, potato chips, pretzels, corn flakes, cinnamon, Cocoa Puffs and oats. A lot of that just detracts.

 

Indeed, Happy 10K reviews.

 

There's a brewery I haven't seen in a while

 

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Samplers and commentators. I'm not a fan of Strata hops and I like Nelson only when it's subtle. So this week's Autodidact Beer release (for "420"), called Grimace_Smoking_Weed.jpeg, hopped with Strata, Nelson, and Simcoe, didn't interest me all that much. I stopped at the brewery yesterday to buy another pack of its vanilla bean Doppelbock which I really like. Since I was there, I figured I might as well try a pint of Grimace and (who'd have thunk it?) I liked it a lot. Auto only canned 42 cases and released them on Friday. By 1:00 p.m. yesterday they were almost sold-out. I ended up buying the next-to-last 4-Pack. And I'm glad I did.

It pours a soft, pastel lemon yellow with a two finger cap of fluffy, bright white foam and lots of sudsy lacing. A nice, fruity nose featuring lemon, grapefruit, tangerine, and berry, along with grape and herbal, grassy notes. It is sweeter and fruitier than I anticipated with both tart lemon and grapefruit and sweeter flavors of red berry, melon, and stone fruit. By mid-sip, however, the flavor profile has evolved to pine and herbs. The Strata hops are evident in the earthy, weedy dankness. The heavy use of Simcoe provides earthy undertones and clean bitterness. The Nelson hops are subtle (which I like) - there is just a hint of white wine. The mouth feel is fairly lite and it drinks very easily for 8.2% ABV. Overall, Grimace is sophisticated and flavorful. Despite the name, it's not all about the weed.

4.21/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

It's good to keep an open mind about beer!

 

Enjoyed this one yesterday evening, courtesy of @Beersnake ..

Forager x Humble Forager - Elm (barrel-aged English barleywine)





Notes: @GreenBayBA
P murky mahogany, no head- just a touch of spotty foam
N med bold to bold, sweet dark sugars, toffee, plum, brandy, inviting for sure
T big bold sweet toffee, brandy-like character, plum/fig, grapeskins, smooth vanilla, booze is there, but not overbearing, lightly warming in the finish, hearty dark bready malt supports, excellent
Mf med to med full, soft med to med carb, viscous/sticky
O an outstanding barleywine! Thanks so much once again for the opportunity, Tim

Cheers!

 

NBS #2: Tired Hands' DDH Alien Church (Citra and Galaxy).

It pours a slightly muddy tangerine color with a big, fluffy, egg white head and clinging lacing. The nose offers bready malt, and bright lemon and grapefruit with a hint of pineapple and tropical sweetness. The taste is big and bold with a firm bready and biscuit malt base balanced by tart lemon and grapefruit, peach, and a hint of tropical fruit. But what seals the deal is an earthy, herbal, biting, hoppy bitterness. It literally tastes better with each sip. Great depth of flavor. I wish I could have experienced it three weeks earlier. The mouth feel is nicely thick and creamy with appropriate carbonation, and it is almost crushable at 7% ABV. Overall, this variant is just great and I'm glad to have finally found it locally.

4.39/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Have a great week, everyone! Cheers, NBW!

 

4.25/5 rDev -2.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Courtesy of '25 BIF @Roguer

Pours pitch black with two fingers of creamy, foamy head. Plenty of lacing. Aroma is heavy peanuts, toffee, caramel, hints of marshmallow. Taste is sweet... lactose, peanut, chocolate, and coffee. Low-to-moderate carbonation, creamy, silky mouthfeel. Finish is milk chocolate, coffee bitterness, and peanuts. If you're a fan of PB or nutty stouts, this would likely scratch that itch.

 

Goose Island big juicy beer hug


3.67/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Brewers notes: If you're a fan of Tropical Beer Hug, you'll love its punchy sibling, Big Juicy Beer Hug. Coming in at 9.9% ABV, this fruit forward Imperial IPA has an aroma bursting with a tropical bouquet of passionfruit, orange, and guava.

Chilled 12oz can poured into a hello kitty stance

clear golden liquid, active carbonation streams, one finger white foam cap, nice lacings

Aroma is tropical , guava, banana, passion fruit

Taste is very sweet tropical , guava , passion fruit, orange citrus

Sudsy mouthfeel

Good beer, very sweet

 

Back home, and I picked up a 4 pack at Montgomery Brewing, and here it is.

MNCity - Montgomery Brewing - Montgomery, MN - APA - 4.7%

You would expect hops in an APA, well, sadly, this beer is almost totally lacking in hop flavor. It is so faint on the back. The main flavor, and it is tasty, is caramel malts. This beer does taste good, but I don't think it is to style.

Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/38353/612785/
3.52/5 rDev -2.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.5
From a 16oz can. Can't see a date on the can.

This is a murky looking beer, and dark golden in color. There's a thick 2 finger white head to this beer. The head is quite frothy looking and long lasting. There's some sticky looking lacing on the glass.
Nose is slight. I just get a faint hint of malty biscuit and a faint hint of hops. Not much else to report here.
Taste - Well, there's a good hit of malt in this beer. I am getting a ton of caramel malts up front. The flavor does get some hops into it, but on the back, and it is very light. The hops are citrus tasting, but light as heck.
The body is quite full feeling for the ABV. It is very smooth feeling.
This is an interesting beer. There's very little hops in it that you'd expect from a pale ale, but it still tastes good to me. Is this beer to the style? I do not think so. I will enjoy drinking most of this 4 pack, because even though it isn't to style, it does taste good.

I may try for one more today. I'll see what's on deck. Cheers!

 

My last can of this batch of All Green Everything, a favorite of mine. There is still more at the bottle shop but I won't buy any more cans since it's past it's prime.

 

Oops, wrong thread!

 

Happy Easter and last day of Passover
I hope everyone could enjoy some happy and peaceful moments with family and friends. With good cheer I come to the NBW thread. Thanks to @Beersnake for the invitation to share new beer experiences, and to answer his basement stockpile question: I deal in IPAs, I have 1-2 every day so not a big drinker, I am curious to buy new IPAs, thus my friends get random boxes to share, can’t let thaat goodness and excitement go to waste.

Mortalis OldManBearMa- Nectaron


4.2/5 rDev -0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Purchased 1 day ago at Mortalis Avon, pours glug glug with a more yellow color than golden like a mimosa, rich froth head that retracted back to a soapy layer and sticky sweet lacin* on the glass. Wow, aroma is very delightful peaches, passion fruit. Taste is zesty grapefruit , lime zest, peach, passion fruit. As it’s been in the glass a bit, the pineapple comes out, zinger lime, smacky sweet goodness. Feel is soft, sticky, creamy, smacky, The OldManBearMa series is my favorite in Mortalis and each iteration features a defining hop in the whirlpool and dry hop over the Citra / Simco base. Each version has been great! Happy Easter Cheers!

btw: 2 things : @woodchipper described this hoppy beer as hot, and that’s awesome, Second: Pete, I saw your doppelgänger last night at The Woodcliff with a super hot woman. Damn, I was happy, sad, and jealous at the same time. You still have that glug glug smacky that women find irresistible , most likely!

 

Don't tell Susan.

 

last night

I couldn’t get a close up the fox this Pete wannabe was with, but dang-gone-it, son, she was fine!