New Beer Weekend #249

Finally I get to post in one of the best, and certainly my favorite threads on this site.
Last night was Stout Appreciation Night and while I drank several new to me beers I didn’t rate them as drinking 5 or 6 different beers in relatively short order tends to cross contaminate the flavors. But we still enjoy it all.

That’s Garth- if you were at the Sheboygan bottle share last year you know who he is.
This was our lineup last night, plus a crowler of a BBA Expedition from Bell’s. Double barrel that is. I forgot he had bought one too.

Tonight I pulled out one I bought late last year and finally got to try it:

I had tried the Alesmith Speedway Affogato and was pleasantly surprised, so this one piqued my interest.
The pour is stout black with a 1 cm light brown head which left no lacing. Not unusual for a BA Imperial Stout, but not outstanding either.
The taste began very sweet, full on pastry stout, but that lasted about 2 sips. It settled in with coffee and cacao, some lactose and, I suspect, some vanilla was present around the edges. The barrel is obscured, no bourbon detected. No hops presence either.
The feel is lightly viscous, pretty standard for a stout with lactose as an adjunct. Nice sipping beer.
OA, I enjoyed it and would be happy to have to finish a 4 pack, but as this is one of 4 different BA stouts in the pack, I only had one. The others will come later. Not tonight, but maybe one tomorrow.
Anyway, cheers all!

 

LOL! Now I have to search YouTube for just such a description. Sounds too weird not to be great! Or really, really bad.

 

Happy NBS!

 

Welcome one and all to New Beer Sunday #1053!

Before jumping in, I would like to thank the Moderator who merged the confusing duplicate entry for this beer (one listed as Mild, the other Dark Mild, with the same can and label). Think the confusion lies in the fact for all the other beers I've seen from this brewery, the name of the beer was listed on the back label first, with the style to follow, and in this instance, the can just has Mild on the primary label, and the style, but not the name above it, on the back label.



Untappd also has the same beer pictured as two entries, but glad to see it cleaned up here. If they could only date their cans?!

Forest & Main Mild

4.44/5 rDev +6.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5



4/27/25 - (Can - Home) (Chicago, IL) Can Notes: Purchased at Beer on the Wall at Park Ridge at store temperature for $4.55 including tax on March 22, 2025. Refrigerated upon returning home until opening this evening. 16 oz,, no can date, distributed 3/21/25, 3.8% ABV. Keep Cold - Drink Fresh. Brewed and packaged by Forest & Main Brewing Company, 241 N. Main Street, Ambler, Pennsylvania.

Appearance: First pour about 10 oz into a nonic glass, yielding a crystal clear dark chestnut brown base, and generous tax white creamy bubbly head, which yields significant soapy lacing and a creamy cover above the base. Looks great! 4.5

Aroma: Pumpernickel, caramel, toffee, fresh southern style biscuits out of the oven and brown sugar while making cookies. Strong in flavor and pleasure. 4.25

Taste: Consistent with the aroma, all flavors are fresh and popping, gulping this down quickly, restraining myself primarily to complete my review. Excellent. 4.5

Mouthfeel: Faint gentle carbonation, mild bitterness provides balance to the pleasant not too sweet malt base. Drinks very light and easy, below the 4.2% ABV. Medium body, malt and brown sugar from start to finish. 4.25

Overall: So light and easy, like Sunday morning, a very outstanding example of the style. Glad I picked this out, will definitely seek out on future annual drops here, or if I get back to their brewery. Thanks for shipping this to us Forest & Main! 4.5

Need to go shopping or out the next two weeks, as I have my final two new cans, also Forest & Main, set for next weekend. Hope you enjoy your Sunday and upcoming week. Cheers!

 

Black Tide - Kuguru ginjo lager at Mugihigeya

 

@snaotheus how would you describe craft overall in Japan? I find it interesting seeing all these different styles you post when you are over there. Is the quality there? more hit or miss? are there any established bigger craft? or mostly small places?

 

Well today I get to stay home and relax. No driving for me today, and, while I love road trips, it is also fun to relax at home. The breakfast beer I'm having I picked up yesterday at Bobbing Bobber Brewing in Hutchinson, MN. I added this beer to the database this morning.

Jig N' Juice - American IPA - 6.6% ABV

I put this beer as an American IPA because UT had it listed as such. This is more of a NEIPA. There's tons of tropical aromas coming off this beer. There was so much pineapple hitting my nose as I was pouring the beer. The flavor is a slight let down, because it is not as strong as the nose let on. It is still good, but way more mild in the flavor department.

Being a fisherman, I really like going to this place because the vibe really is up my alley.

Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/52949/742983/
3.77/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
From a 750ml crawler filled at the brewery on 4-26-2025, consumed on 4-27-2025

There was a good hiss and pressure in the crawler when I opened it. The beer is a murky and hazy pouring beer. It is a pineapple color in the glass, and looks juicy. There's a quite thick 4 finger white head to this beer that has good retention, but minimal lacing on the glass.
The aroma hits me as I poured this beer. There's a ton of tropical smelling hops here. There's a slight dank/earthy aroma when I put the glass to my nose.
Taste - The flavor of this beer is hop dominated, but not as much as the nose let on. I am getting mild pineapple juice flavors here from the hops. There's a hint of the malts that hits my taste buds before the hops kick in. There's a bit of bitterness on the back of this beer.
The body is quite juicy feeling. There's a great bubbly feeling to this beer.
The beer is not bad overall even though the flavor is less than the nose let on.


I'll attempt at least one more beer today. I'll see you all later as this one settles in. Cheers!

 

Milwaukee's Best Light

Appearance: Clear pale yellow, big foamy head with good retention.

Smell: Light sweet corn.

Taste: Mild sweetness, light corn flavor with maybe a hint of stale hay. Light bodied, as expected. Mild corn and a bit of grape soda on the finish.

Overall: A lone can was left by a previous visitor to the cabin I stayed in over Easter weekend. It was Beast Light, a beer I've never had as Miller Genuine Draft or Miller Lite were my go-to college beers. I was expecting a poor experience, but it is not bad for what it is, a cheapo lager. Maybe a bit of staleness and grape soda off flavor, but not offensive. Definitely better than the Minhas lagers I had last month.

 

Good Sunday morning NBS/nbw and thanks to this weeks host @bbtkd.
Todays offering is from Side Project, a lovely peach flavor runs through the experience.
Nice tart bite with a beautiful dry finish

Momotaro

Brett Beer | 6% ABV
Side Project Brewing in Maplewood, Missouri

Reviewed by SABERG from Massachusetts

3.99/5 rDev -5.7% | Average: 4.23
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from an undated 375 ml bottle into the test glass
A - Cloudy deepyellow backdrop, some floaties, fine carbonation slides up the glass wall
S - Chalk, peaches, a bit of that catch all barnyard funk
T - Funky mixed culture, nice mie=neral thread, again leaning into the chalk, peaches are more prominent as the offering warms a bit
M - Dry, medium in body, tart but not sharply, dry fininsh
O - A very good blended/fruited offering with enough depth and character to keep you thinking

 

Hello BAs. I've a few brews to load up here today. I'll start with:
Castle Danger WCIPA 7%
4.07/5 rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
12 oz can canned 2/25/25 into a Becker glass.
L: SRM 9 pours clear amber with a 1" off white half soapy half capped head, good retention, steady carbo, soapy lacing with definitive back banding.
S: Light fruits, hop funk, caramel malts, a bit malty overall.
T: Slightly toasty sweet caramel malts, fruits, grapefruit, light lemon, grapefruit zest, pine resin, bitterness spreads and lingers in the finish. Fruity overall.
F: Very gently brisk then rabbit fur soft and smooth and medium-bodied. Really soft water. It has a medium-long finish with aftertastes that are a bit dry.
O: This has a beautiful malt character that I don't usually find in other WCIPAs. It is unique in that way otherwise it hits the style targets well. Funky aroma, really good bitter notes in the dry finish. It is excellent in its style.

 

Courtesy of Quality Inn Placentia Anaheim Fullerton (IYKYK)


4.18/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
2023 Vintage, 13.5% ABV

Pours pitch black with two fingers of mocha-colored, creamy head. Scant lacing. Smell is vanilla, brown sugar, bourbon, hints of yellow cake. Taste is barrel-forward with strong char, bourbon, and oak. Notes of caramel and bakers cocoa come toward the end. Mouthfeel is moderately carbonated, creamy. Dark chocolate, faint vanilla and some oak show up in the finish.

 

The dogs have been walked and I took a swim in the pool. Next up in my to do list is putting a lasagna together for dinner.
My new beer is Indulge Me from Prairie. It is a barrel aged imperial stout with toasted coconut, chocolate chips, and cake mix.
The beer is very dark brown, near black, color. No head, no lace.
Aroma of chocolate, roasted coconut, and vanilla.
Taste of chocolate brownie, roasted coconut, vanilla, hint of whiskey.
Big-bodied, sweet. A beer to sip.

 

What the hell, its the end of spring break so I’m gonna throw in another new one this weekend. I am a fan of well made AAL and have quite a few craft examples that I love. Thus, when I saw Cape May release a new one called Cape May Light I had to try it. I’m not sure if this has adjunct in it, but nevertheless, it fits in the same vain of style that many seem to loath.

I personally love the recent trend occurring with more craft brewers embracing this beer style, when brewed well they are incredibly clean and drinkable. I almost grabbed a six of but instead opted for a single first to share here and assess before grabbing a six in the future, if warranged. Let’s see how it is…

Cape May - Cape May Light (Light Lager 4.2%)



Pours a beautiful crystal clear gold, big white head; above average retention, especially considering the style and ABV, great clings of lacing from initial pour.

Nose is light lager but clean; pleasant light sweetness, with light toasted character with subtle pleasant herbal undertones; this beer’s aroma is very pleasing to me.

Taste is lightly sweet, there isn’t much depth in terms of malt which is to be expected but much like the nose there is light toasty character with dry grassy hops on the finish, again subtle but noticeable.

Body is light, effervescent yet very smooth carbonation; a light residual sweetness dries out quite quickly on the finish, there is a low bitterness as well.

This beer is a prime example of how light lager can, and should, be made. It is 100% light lager but there is a very clean and balanced depth to it that really makes it enjoyable to me. Six pack purchase will definitely be in my future at some point when I need to restock the fridge.

@JackHorzempa

-----------------

That's it for me this weekend, I'll keep popping back but in terms of new beer I think this is it for me, until next time. Have a great week everyone!

 

Loved this under rated beer and I'll get more when I see it.
Velkopopovický Kozel Ležák
4.26/5 rDev +14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
16.9 oz can exp date 15/07/25 into a tall Lager glass.
L: SRM 4.5 pours clear light amber gold with very steady carbo, a 1/2" soft and dull white head that has good retention, scattered medium-light webbed lacing.
S: Buttered toast, malty, a light hop note, faint yeast, pastry dough, a light mineral note.
T: Light fruits, pear, green apple, white bread dough, a good long note of citrus zest, buttered soft Vienna bread, a hint of yeast.
F: Brisk medium to med-light bodied feel with a medium-long lightly drying finish.
O: Very tasty and bready with a delightfully zesty linger. It leaves no aftertaste. Really clean drinking and smooth overall. An extremely pleasant drink all together. I could drink this beer morning, noon, and night. It is outstanding in its style.

 

That’s a good one! And their amber is really good too

 

I'll keep my eyes peeled for that.

 

Out in my courtyard with beer and book...

Fair Isle Alexander in the glass.

Saison with wild yeast, bacteria, and Fireweed...which I can't say I have heard of, a weed in the north west. 4.7% ABV.



Pours a straw yellow color, with a touch of cloudiness. A dense white head forms with excellent retention and lace left behind.
Aroma is musty yeast, herbal tea like aromas. There is a spiciness, and ester character that is great. That goes from grapes to apples.
Taste wise, like the nose, the musty yeast hits up front. A little grainy like, spicy, herbal. Tart and acidic, with fruity esters. Apple skins mostly, that gives a dry cider like quality. Just enough puckering sourness.
A light body that is crisp and effervescent. Finishes wonderfully dry and even refreshing. Which all leads to a very enjoyable Saison to drink. That I can down in big gulps, but I want to take my time with.

This is an excellent low ABV Saison/Table Bier. I'm not exactly sure what Fireweed tastes like, but that probably accounts for the herbal tea like quality. Which balances perfectly with the lightly funky, tart, ester like Saison. Well done all around, and again, this brewery is great.

Overall score is 4.29, easy A score for me.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/57519/546468/?ba=champ103#lists