New Beer Weekend #287

Continuing to clear out the fridge over here with another new Sam Adams brew. Looking forward to seeing many of you here again tomorrow (hint, hint, once again, Oh Munificent Mods).

Today's new beer is:
Sam Adams Cold Brew Coffee Stout
6.0% American Stout



Pours pitch black and completely opaque, not even a hint of brown at the edges. Big four-finger tan head that lingers nicely. This is one good-looking stout.

Aromas of milk chocolate, cocoa, toasted grains, very slight char, woody hops, and maybe some coffee (but only because of the big hint on the front of the can).

The taste is similar. It starts with semi-sweet chocolate and cocoa, with black bread and molasses joining in quickly. I finally get some medium roast coffee through the middle of the sip that builds on the finish, which is a mixture of coffee, burnt bread, and woody hops.

Medium bodied but with low carb that makes it feel somewhat lighter than you'd like. Quite smooth, though.

Overall, this isn't bad by any means. Classic American stout with some coffee thrown in that, at least for me, isn't particularly prominent. I'd grab this from the holiday pack as soon as the Old Fezziwigs are gone.

 

Surprised nobody had the name "Mana" before them.

 

Jack's Abby - Bohemian Dusk
Czech Dark Lager
4.5% ABV

My 18th Jack's Abby beer review. It's safe to say this one of my favorite breweries. I felt this is one their lesser offerings as it's a tad too sweet IMO.



3.63/5 rDev -10.6% | Average: 4.06
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Pours a husky brown with dense khaki foam which thins to a ring sitting atop the beer as it goes down the glass

Scents of toasted caramel and pumpernickel bread are prevalent.

Flavors are fairly one dimensional which follow the olfactory nerve to the taste buds. Toasted caramel, brown/dark bread, light earthy hops. There is a lingering sweetness with a roasted nature. This beer could use more hops to balance this sweetness out.

Full bodied especially for 4.5% ABV.

A good dark lager, but a hair too sweet for my taste. It needs some kind of bite as there is very little

 

Yeah, between the religious & Hawaiian context, I would've that name was long gone.

 

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Swiggers and commentators. For the past few months Autodidact Beer has been pumping out big, southern hemisphere-hopped IPAs. In particular, they have been using hops sourced from Egger's Farm in New Zealand. This week's release, Blood Dawn, is a TIPA hopped with Egger’s Midnight Harvest and Special X hops. It is similar to an IPA released in October called Holy Moonlight, which I thought was extraordinary.

Reviewed 2 days after can release (6 days after actual canning). It is a murky, pastel lemon-orange with over a finger cap of creamy, bright white foam and lots of thick, clinging lacing. A big, bright nose featuring lemon, lime, grapefruit, pineapple, white wine grape, and other tropical fruit. The initial taste is a tropical fruit punch balanced by some tart citrus and the dryness of Pinot Gris. The hop bitterness is mild and clean except for a hint of hop burn at the finish - particularly as the ale warms. Autodidact has been releasing many southern hemisphere IPAs that are "hot" when first canned but smooth out within a week or so. The mouth feel is thick and creamy with pleasant carbonation, and it doesn't drink like 10.2% ABV.

Blood Dawn is very good although to me it doesn't have the same wow factor as Holy Moonlight.

4.29/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Have a great week, everyone! Cheers, NBW!

 

Other Half X Pinthouse - Breakfast Taco WCIPA
Hops: Simcoe, Mosaic, Krush, Krush Incognito, Krush Cryo, and Columbus Cryo

This one was very good to my taste. Although the Krush dominance here in smell and taste isn't my favorite hop offering, this beer is undeniably well made for an EC stab at WCIPA



4.17/5 rDev +0.5% | Average: 4.15
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
This is a good representation of WCIPA, something most EC brewers struggle to emulate. Cloudy mango in color, it leaves an initial amount of lacing while providing strong sweet orange, mango, and pineapple scents. Sips give an abundance of Krush hop notes, namely sweet citrus candy and mango flavors. This isn't a sweet beer, however. Hop astringency becomes prevalent with a moderate drying bitterness coming through. Drinkability is very high, and as I type my glass is nearly empty. Feel is spot on for the style, not syrupy whatsoever, no soap, just a lighter bodied well carbonated blanket of hops. Overall excellent

 

Baltic Porter Day 2026 from Pohjala
4.25/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

third one of these Baltic Porters from Pohjala (Estonia) that I’ve had recently; yesterday was Oo which might have been better.

Drank out of a small goblet.
Poured a nearly black color with a thin filmy tan head.
Smells of dark malts with hints of dark chocolate. There is an interesting note probably from the Pandan leaves.
Smooth, creamy mouth feel.
Nice full sweet taste, hints of dark chocolate, espresso. Sweet, smooth, no trace of bitterness

 

would've thought, words not making it to the keyboard

 

Natural State Brewing Dunkel ( Dark Lager ) 5.2% ABV; 3.94 overall

This version checks in at 5.2% ABV

Pours an effervescent hazel/auburn color with a pinky of tan head. Average-ish head retention, better lacing

S: Dark bread, figs, hints of tobacco once warmed up

T: Follows the nose, a little gingerbread, woody hops & dryness up front. More brown bread, woody hops & toastyness as this beer warms up, some brown sugar notes, some raisin notes. Finishes dry with trace amounts of dark fruit, woody hops & brown bread

MF: Medium body, fairly firm carbonation

Nice drinkability, on point for the style, nose could be more

 

Part I of my weekend reviews was the present, Part II is the past…I love the trend of more revived beers these days. Each one brings back memories and its own feels but this one…this one did that on a whole other level. I’m not even sure I know why but as I held this can earlier this weekend and read the note on the back it instantly brought me back to another time…

Beer From the Brandywine Creek:

A classic revived…Headwaters celebrates the unsung hero. Every pour helps support water initiatives that sustain the places we live, work, and drink. Crafted with care, and brewed for you.

Reading that somehow reminded me of the first time I had this beer, and brought me back to Victory glory days. Then I poured it, smelled it, and took a sip; my beer soul oozed with joy like a beer hasn’t given me in a long long time; sometimes a beer is more than a beer…

Victory - Headwaters Pale Ale (APA 5.2%)



Pours crystal clear; beautiful copper laden brass, slightly off white head, sticky thick matted cap with great retention; a swirl displays beautiful carbonation that slowly rises and takes it time getting back to the head.

Nose is rich with malt character full of sappy citrus, some nose tingle; just a perfect balance of caramelized malt and hop vibrancy.

Taste nicely combines malt and hops as well; caramelized citrus skin, woody and sappy; malt brings out the stickiness of the hops; citrus lies somewhere between orange and grapefruit.

Feel oozes with hop coat and residual malt; that residual feel enhances the resin hop coat; that beautiful feel is short lived because this finishes crisp and clean, moderate and firm bitterness brings it all home.

A special beer, maybe sentiment got the best of me but I instantly bought another six this weekend while it is still fresh so I can drink in a time machine just a little bit longer. I really hope this because a yearly treat to look forward to. Cheers to Victory for bringing this one back!

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

That is it for me this weekend, wet, cold and snowy evening here; perhaps a comforting movie goes on later tonight. Hope you all have a wonderful evening and week, see you again in five days hopefully. Cheers.

@hillind

 

Happy NBS one and all!
Pulled another one from the beer fridge that I stopped putting beer into a year or so ago.

Full disclosure, this is one I bought a while ago, the best by date was 2/2/2024 so I wasn’t as hard on the rating than I would have been.
The pour is the expected light amber, not quite transparent, but close. The light beige head was short and short lived but left decent lacing.
The taste is an interesting combination of bubble gum, cloves (so much clove!) and banana. I’m sure there are other tastes but they were overwhelmed by the aforementioned flavors.
The feel is full, not viscous, but not crisp either. I imagine that is the norm.
OA, it’s tasty, just not what I expected from reading the style guideline.
Back later with a nightcap,
Cheers!

 

Dewey Beer - Loud Print NEDIPA



4.49/5 rDev +10.9% | Average: 4.05
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
This is excellent hop juice, despite the abundance of unfiltered yeast floaters. Chewy, viscous, and thick with hop presence. Dank as hell. As I type I'm guzzling it down. So drinkable and full bodied and flavored. This brings the best out of Citra and Nelson hops. Smells like a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice with accompanying notes of bergamot, pineapple, kiwi, and grapefruit. One of the best glasses of haze I've had in awhile sans the overage of sediment

 

Outstanding post and great thoughts, sir!

 

Thank you @beerdedking it really it home drinking it.

 

Cross post from the Baltic Porter tasting thread tonight -

Cellar Series: Evening Colours, by Põhjala, an imperial Baltic Porter aged in Tawny Port Barrels for 22 months. I muled this beer home from the brewery a couple of years ago:



Poured at 53.4°; black with gray edges; fizzy dark tan head vanished immediately leaving nothing; some tiny spots of lace with agitation; thick legs on swirl. Port wine and red currant nose. Taste follows with plum, oak and tobacco; weak chocolate as beer warmed. Medium minus body; light carbonation; no warmth from ABV; light silky feel. Layers of flavors; more barrel in base, but delicious nevertheless.


4.0/ 4.25/ 4.5/ 4.25/ 4.25
Score: 4.34 rDev +.9%

An outstanding beer. Cheers y’all!

 

Pretty good snow going on outside but I sure have a beer to keep me warm...



Stranger Souls Imperial Stout from Barreled Souls. This beet is aged for 9 months and 10 days in Nulu Amburana bourbon barrels. It's 14.7% ABV, bottle 936 out of 1080, and bottled on 7/10/25. I assume its an homage to Stranger Things.

Had to look up Nulu Amburana. It's a bourbon aged in amburana wood...ok...wormhole. Nulu is a craft distillery in Louiseville. Amburana is a hot item for bourbon aging and is a South American wood aka Brazilian oak even though it isn't an oak. A soft, porous, sugar-laden wood. It's known for strong notes of vanilla, cacao, cinnamon, and caramelized sugars. The bourbon is said to have flavors of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, gingerbread, and baking spices. Apparently the distillers monitor the timing to make sure the whiskey is not "overexposed". Well...all-righty then...

It pours a rich brown color with deep, deep red tinting against the light. It forms a few soap bubble at first but then there's an eruption of fine bubbles leading to a short, tan head that didn't last long enough to make the picture. It looks menacingly flat in the glass after a few minutes.

Never mind the 14%. The smell alone is intoxicating. There's smokiness, a caramelized sugar smell, vanilla, whiskey right off the bat. Then other things show up... A little chocolate, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a scent reminding me of Cinnabon icing, ginger. And that is where the smell takes me - cinnamon rolls dripping with gooey icing, gingerbread cookies, fruit cake, with some smoky bourbon. A bit of sweet pipe tobacco.

Massive flavor impact. It's got all of the above adding in some dark, dried fruits as well. It's got a good deal of sweetness but not a heavy sweetness. The bourbon is clear but not overly assertive. The caramel/scorched sugar leans more to brown sugar or molasses. It's definitely got some mild smokiness. The cupboardful of baking spices - cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger. Faint cocoa. And that vanilla icing thing... fruit cake, Cinnabon, gingerbread, bourbon...This comes on in waves but leaves as a blended whole, so its like I'm getting a series of unresolved chords then all of a sudden everything drops in together somwhere unexpected ala Stravinsky. There's a peppery kick at the end, but I'm not thinking that's ABV-related. Maybe a hint of anise.

It's north of medium-bodied but not heavy. There's a tingle that carries over for a bit and just a little residual stickiness. Nicely warming. I'll be giggling by the time I finish this.

This is some next level sorcery going on here. Did this come from The Upside Down? Hmmmm... This is masterfully done. I can't find anything to nitpick here. Way, way in A+ territory.

 

You found Vecna’s personal stash…also you mention the upside down and @sulldaddy posts a beer called Upside Dawn right after it…speaking of sorcery stuff.

 

A west coast IPA from Fort George in collaboration with Everywhere Beer (Orange, CA)?

Why yes, I am interested.



Fort George Greetings From Everywhere
WCIPA Collaboration with Everywhere Beer

Greetings From Everywhere greets you with a yellow-gold body of spectacular clarity and a thin head of ghost white foam that leaves good lacing. The nose is a massive fruit basket of citrus and tropical fruit: grapefruit, lime, mango, papaya, and maybe a small cantaloupe. Buried somewhere in that fruit basket is a sachet of pine needles and some weed.

But while the nose is vivid, the flavor goes full Technicolor. Kodachrome, even. There's a load of pink grapefruit juice and pine up front, followed by lime Skittles, fresh papaya, frozen mixed berries, and Juicy Fruit gum (sans sugar, if you can imagine that). Pine resurfaces in the bitter finish, along with a spicy floral blast and warm, sweet melon buried in a bunch of citrus. The botanical flavors get stronger as the beer warms. The enhanced floral/herbal character joins with the potent citrus for something like a concentrated noble hop effect. Extraordinary.