New Beer Weekend #290

Mourning the loss of one of my musical heroes today. Brad Arnold and 3 Doors Down narrated the soundtrack of my adolescence/young adulthood. His lyrics got me through some tough times. I had to pull a big beer out of the cellar to honor someone who means so much. RIP, Brad. F**k Cancer.



2020 Vintage
750ml bottle poured into a snifter

A- pours black in color with a one-finger foamy khaki head that reduces to leave nothing behind

S- HUGE barrel aromas up front, bold bourbon, wet oak, vanilla, caramel & spice. Signature BT notes underneath, adding booze, dark fruits, chocolate & black licorice. As it warms, a peanuty note emerges from the strong oak barrel

T- as with the nose, opening flavor is all barrel; barrel juice, bold oak, peppery spice, caramel and vanilla. Mid-palate gives chocolate, booze soaked raisins, figs, brownie batter & toffee. The finish gives more bold oaky bourbon with a linger of peanuts, oak, chocolate & booze

M- heavy body with moderate carbonation, chewy mouthfeel continues into a warming finish

O- a bourbon showcase that works well with a beer bold enough to handle the double barrel treatment.

4, 4.5, 4.75, 4.5, 4.75= 4.62

 

Couple more Stevens Point beers, first the Midnight Black Lager:

Appearance: Very dark brown, good head.

Smell: Mild roasted malts.

Taste: Balanced to start, some mild sweetness with mild roastiness. Medium-light bodied. Light roasted malts in the finish.

Overall: Easy drinking dark lager, a little roasted malt action but not too much. Built for drinkability, not tons of flavor but a nice change-up.

Now the Green Circle Pale Ale:

Appearance: Slightly hazy pale gold, big head.

Smell: Mild citrus, light fruit cup sweetness.

Taste: Mild sweetness, then a kind of caramel undertone with a prickly citrus/melon flavor. Low to mid bitterness, medium bodied. Finishes with the melon note.

Overall: When I picked up a single of this at the brewery, the bartender said “it’s bitter!”, but it seems pretty mild to me. Interesting flavor, not too familiar with talus hops. Worth a try.

I'd probably give a slight edge to the black lager, I think the pale ale was slightly old, if it was a bit fresher I'd give it the nod.

 

Rar/Electric Service Overload DIPA (Nelson, Citra, NZ Cascade). First time trying these guys since they got their new brewer, who reinvented their beers. Their IPA's are very hyped at the moment as a result.

Pours a fully opaque gold color with a finger and a half of off-white head that dissipates slowly. 4.5

Aroma brings passionfruit and mango milkshake, orange sorbet, ripe white grape, diesel, lime, earthiness. 4.25

Taste is mango and lime sorbet, ripe passionfruit, lime zest, bright white grape, yellow grapefruit flesh and peel, clementine, earthiness, diesel, resin. Huge depth of hop character. 4.5

High medium body. Pillowy soft feel. Little creamy, but carbonation keeps things lively. Dry finish with a nice hop bitterness. Hop oils and resin sit on the palate. 4.75

This one is on another level compared to the IPA's around me. Top tier haze. Very impressive stuff. 4.5
Overall: 4.47

 

Hey, kids. Piled up four more inches of snow and the temperature is dropping rapidly. Serious cold on the way tomorrow - good day to wrap up and settle in for Cetics and that little game on in the evening. Watched the Olympic big air snow boarding event - how do those athletes learn that stuff without breaking their necks - amazing.

The missus is enjoying Drekker Madame Mumble - as we do when we have different beers I had a gulp. Delicious tropical fruity thing. The story on the can is hilarious.

In my glass ( and qualified for Cellaruary):



Firestone Walker Stickee Monkee, 2017 vintage. They call it a Central Coast Quad, 12.5% abv.

Pours a murky brown with deep reddish tints. About a quarter inch of beige foam that falls to a hefty ring with wisps across the surface. Great cling to the glass.

Smells of dark brown sugar, sweet cherry, dark fruits, a bit of tobacco, a bit of bourbon, chocolate, toasty malts. Not overly strong but certainly saying drink me.

Taste slightly sweet. I get sweet cherry, lots of bourbon, oak. Dark fruit galore - the raisin, date, dried plum trinity. Some toffee, brown sugar and molasses. There is just a little chocolate as well as a slight tobacco taste. The finish, even at 8-ish years old, is pleasantly boozy. It's got a little red grape and maybe sherry character to it. This is delicious.

At first there's some prickly carbonation. The beer is medium bodied and a tad bit stickee.

Overall, fantastic quad. Hitting many happy places with me. Lesson learned after this one and several others - see a FW beer, buy a FW beer! Easily in the 4.5 territory.

 

Hello New Beer Weekend!!!

Well, I'll get right to it with my first new beer of the weekend.

Hypothermia - Talking Waters Brewing - Montevideo, MN - American IPA - 7%

Wow, this is totally delicious, and I have to wonder how I haven't had this before?

Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/45816/590211/
4.21/5 rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
From a 16oz can. There's some kind of marking on the bottom of the can, but it is so light, I can't read the date, but I do know it is fresh, and just came into work on Friday.

This is a clear looking beer in my glass and golden in color. There's a nice slow stream of carbonation bubbles rising in my glass. There's a 1 finger white head to this beer. The head retention is decent. The head dissipates and leaves no lacing on the glass.
The aroma hit me while pouring the beer. I am getting a ton of hops and pine notes. Up close It is just an amazing hop aroma. There's a great resin pine note. There's some citrus notes. All notes are nice and just punch me in the nose.
Oh, my, the flavor. The beer's flavor is made up by the hops. The notes are almost like a lime citrus to start it off. These hops fade slightly and a malty biscuit flavor pops into play. The finish is where the hops come back into play. I get some earthy pine flavor with some dankness.
The body does seem light at first, but it does become sticky toward the finish. There's a nice feeling from the bitterness.
Wow, I am surprised I haven't had this beer before. This is totally delicious and I am glad we brought it in.

I am drinking this right after a 2025 Bigfoot. I don't know if there's another beer in me tonight, or not. If not, I hope to make it back tomorrow for more new beers. Cheers!

 

Zero gravity light pilsner
....very clear pale gold/orange appearance with a very full lasting white head
...below average carbonation with the same for the body but it didn't have too much of that watery feel I was expecting
...not an overwhelming aroma but it is mostly cereal,grain,toasted grain and a very mild sour earthy funk
..taste has a touch of sweetness that builds and dominates the aftertaste. Toasted grain and cereal otherwise.
... I guess I could pick this apart but bottom line I liked it

 

Greetings, New Beer People! High-five to @Beersnake for starting this thread. (And the Bigfoot thread as well-- dude gets around, doesn't he?)

My first New Beer of the weekend is the last of my New Beers from @Whyteboar :



Brewery Vivant Wizard Burial Ground 2025
Bourbon barrel-aged quadrupel ale

The date stamp tells me this beer was canned on Halloween! So is this beer a trick or is it a treat?

Yes.

The trick is that it starts out as a great big caramel bomb, oh so rich and sweet and laden with warm bourbon. Then, right before your very taste buds, it transforms into a figure of dark fruit, sleek and spicy and quite a bit drier than it started. And the bourbon is still there.

It's a really good trick. Wanna see it again? Take another sip. Amazing.

And the treat?

The whole beer is a treat!

Look:
It has an appealing ruddy copper body topped with a thin cream-colored head. Retention is low, but it still leaves generous lacing.

Smell:
The nose is very much on the "caramel bomb" side of the trick, offering succulent malt shaded with vanilla, butterscotch, and oak. Hints of dark fruit and spice peek through.

Flavor:
I've already hit the highlights of the first half of each sip, but I would be remiss if I didn't add some detail about the second half. There's some earthy pepper and a little muted clove. These spicy elements work wonders with the emerging fruity notes: raisins, prunes, a morsel of pineapple from an upside-down cake. The effect is dazzling. The finish is bourbon, fruit, and spice (including a bit of heat from the alcohol).

Feel:
The body is heavy and silky, with piquant carbonation.

Overall:
One of my usual comments about beers I like is "Not too sweet." This beer steps up to that line and plants a footprint smack on the other side of it. But the caramel is so good, it gets away with it. And the peak sweetness doesn't last. The fruit and spice sweep in and tamp down the caramel by making friends with it. Bourbon hangs out from start to finish.

This beer wasn't on my radar, and it hit me just right. Just. Right. Thanks Craig!

 

Dam, that sounds excellent

 

Cant say I like 3 doors down, but sorry to hear that bro i know i would be upset if something happened to a band member that I liked. Great beer to honor him with, black Tuesday is a whale for me but I loved it

 

Another week down, another weekend arrives, that means one thing; time to share some beers together and talk. Today we arrive at Saturday…yes, good old Saturday. The weekend day when you can truly forget about the work week that just happened and is to come, let us celebrate with a beer. I like to celebrate the arrival of Friday with thought free favorites that just make me say “ahh, that’s good…”. What say you? Do you have different beer vibes each weekend day? I’d say Sunday is another good contemplative evening but sometimes the Monday blues creep in by the end of the day.

One of those weeks, nothing crazy, just a tiring one; we’re still in an unseasonable cold stretch of weather with grass still invisible two weeks later; not your average NJ winter. In light of that I’d like to cozy up inside our little home and pour a cozy little beer.

I love the little communities within a community here on BA and this one comes from the beer haul friends. I promised @FRANKHAZE some Tonewood English brews, in return I got a nice little box that arrived this week which I plan to use for the coming month or so as my NBW beers, one or two a weekend.

To celebrate that English beer promise I open up this one…a new to me brewery as well as beer.

Good Word Brewing - Quantum Immortality (English Porter 4%)



Pours an attractive dark brown, edge clarity; light brown brown creamy looking head, bubbly top frothy bottom; lines of lacing from first pour.

Nose is predominantly chocolate, powder-like; spent coffee grounds, light fruitiness and roast.

Taste is more coffee like than nose; chocolate malt balls, dark fruit still present, damp earth; restrained roast dominates on the finish.

Body is light, it comes off a tad thin; the soft carbonation helps a little though, clean, drying finish with good roast driven bitterness.

A very soft spoken and tasty beer; I love the drinkability of English beers and this is no exception. A perfect beer to cozy up with and watch “Alone” on an Arctic weekend in NJ.

Looking forward to lurking and maybe opening another new one tomorrow.

@ATL6245

————

Signing off this post with a favorite hip hop line that kept popping into my head as I read this beer name:

“It’s a paradox we call reality, so keepin’ it real will make you a casualty of abnormal normality.”

@kemoarps

 

Good evening NBW
I was lucky enough to grab two new-to-me foreign export stouts in my travels this week. I have a six pack of this and I'm rather happy about it. Even dug out my Stout & Oyster Festival glass from years ago


Schlafly Extra Stout

12oz bottled 12/19/2025 poured into a shaker pint glass at fridge temp 8% ABV. The beer pours dark brown with chestnut highlights and tan colored head. The head recedes to a thin cap and leaves a little lacing. The aroma is mild with bittersweet chocolate and light coffee. The taste is bittersweet, earthy, lightly ashy chocolate with additional notes of coffee and dark fruit. Moderate bitterness. The feel is medium bodied with average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Overall, delicious FES.

 

When I watch that stuff every now and then I think "thank god our kids aren’t trying backflips in some extreme sport." He's already had enough injuries just playing soccer.

 

Prairre German pils
...pale gold appearance with no head
... a medium body,even a little thick with just below average carbonation
...aroma is interesting and hard to describe. Comes off sweet and fruity followed by some dry earthy spice
...taste has a bit of sweetness, almost bubblegum like flavor. In the background is some dry earthy spice.
..overall its not like any pils I've had before but its very good

 

Here that! I figure we were pretty lucky. Couple of rolled ankles between our two.

 

Abita Bad Mother Shucker Oyster Stout. Very nice. A little taste of salt.

 

It is the brewery’s signature beer, they have Wizard day every year for the release.
It’s my favorite beer from them.
Cheers!

 

I'm drinking a Siren: Dark & Perilous Nights (2023?) A dark ale bottled 19/10/23, 12.5%, 375ML bottle. Aged for 18 months in Wild Turkey, Buffalo Trace, Jim Beam & Woodford Reserve Barrels. A blend I take it. Siren is located in Wokingham, Berkshire England.

Look: black body no light passes thru. Short but persistent head that leaves some fine lacing.
Smell: Molasses, brown sugar, sweet malt, bourbon.
Taste follows the nose, with chocolate fudge, toffee and a hint of dark fruit. Some vanilla/wood at the finish. It is on the sweet side, fairly smooth.
Feel; there is some heat in the mouth but not harsh, fairly smooth, medium thickness. Has a slightly creamy finish
This is a very good beer. I will give it a 4.42/5.
https://untappd.com/b/siren-craft-brew-dark-and-perilous-nights-2023/5646959
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/31221/481745/

 

Okay, it’s Saturday so it’s Stouterday.
Had the second one of the four that was sent back in 2022, BCBS, “easter egg” versions.
I grabbed the next one at random and pulled the Willitt (is that the right spelling?) barrel version.
Right off I can say it would be a good thing for Goose Island to use Willitt barrels more frequently.

The pour is stout black with virtually no head and definitely no lacing.
The taste rocks. Full on BCBS with a little more bourbon. Not sure how to describe the difference but it is definitely there. Wish I could have a few more of these.
The feel is typical BCBS and all that portends, viscous and very full.
OA, this is the second of the four that I have tried and it is better than the first. Not sure if the other two will match up.
Not sure if I will get to the other two tomorrow as it’s the Super Bowl party and I will have to drive home. But I will have at least one new one tomorrow.
Cheers!

 

Another New Beer, this time from a new state I haven't reviewed a beer from yet.



Parish Rêve Coffee Stout

Looks black in the glass, except for sinister red-amber highlights at the edges. So opaque that my phone flashlight can't get through. A steady pour raises a finger of tan foam that quickly fizzes away. Minimal lacing. The moderately sweet nose is coffee and cream with a touch of vanilla. Flavor follows, heavy on the coffee and slightly sweeter than promised by the nose. There's roast malt and vanilla and a slight acidity from the coffee. Finishes as it starts, with coffee front and center. Hints of sweetened condensed milk and vanilla in the aftertaste. Body feels a bit thin, and the carbonation has good texture but could be dialed back a notch. Overall, it's a fine coffee-forward stout. I'd like to try this on tap someday.

(Side note: Yeah, there was a big thumbprint smear on my phone camera lens. Next picture won't be so hazy...)

 

Still clearing out the cellar:

Oude Geuze from 3 Fonteinen - The No. 83 22/23 blend.

4.48/5 rDev +1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
From the No. 83 22/23 release. From a 375ml bottle poured into a tulip. It decanted nicely. Most of the sediment remained in the bottle. A hazy amber gold. A thin head soon diminished to a persistent ring. Some fine patchy lacing.

Vinous smells. Some funky brett. A very full taste. Leather, apricot and lemon. Very well melded. An extremely long finish. Lots to like here.

Very smooth for a Gueuze. A medium body and light tickling carbonation. Overall an outstanding Gueuze. Definitely a sipper and well worth a try.

4.48/5 rDev +1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75