New Beer Weekend #303

Milk Man stout from Confluence Brewing in Iowa. Pretty darn good.

 

Here ya go ….gotta work on the zoom function…

 

Another Three Floyd's Gumballhead brew, this one is It's Not Normal (and I certainly agree)...



4.05/5 rDev -3.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
For me, this was a surprisingly refreshing beer...

Orange coloration with white , foamy head that has some good staying power. The smell was lightly hoppy with a distinct citrus smell that I found quite appealing. Mouthfeel was more watery than I prefer, however, it was light, crisp, and truly easy drinking. Before I knew it, I had down have the glass without blinking twice. The overall flavor was citrus, didn't note any of the hops, and it had a dry back-end to it. Overall, a very good brew, glad I still have a few on hand to still enjoy...

 

I get excited every time I see their bottles or beers on tap. A brewery I definitely want to visit if I ever make it to Europe.

Liked it much better without the cryo and other hop boosters they have added to some of their other new releases.

Enjoyed catching up on all the beers and comments nearing the end of the weekend and New Beer Sunday #1107. Have two Pipeworks initially planned for a weekend pairing, but the theme to this can was purchased after both Western and Orthodox Easter, so best to close out the weekend with this selection, which hopefully pairs as well as the Ninja vs. Unicorn I enjoyed with late night tacos to close out Saturday night/Sunday morning.

Narrator: "It did not."

Pipeworks Brewing Company Easter Bunny Vs Unicorn

3.33/5 rDev -16.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3



Full review linked above. Pipeworks can be polarizing, and many of their beers are hits, but this one seems more like a bitter citrus vodka ready made screwdriver with a splash of white wine, vs. a solid beer. Boozy without a solid flavor reward, not for me.

Sadly, I'll likely crash at some point while listening to the Habs and Vegas (I'll also root for Buffalo later if they win the Adams Division Finale). Thank you again for this thread @jonphisher (I vote for you and/or @cjgiant for Prom King for this thread and throughout time), and see you all for @superspak 's thread next weekend!

 

Good evening NBW
I'm late to the party this weekend. Luckily, I picked up a bunch of great beer in Indy yesterday, so I have interesting beers to contribute for a few weekends.

Trooper Red N Black

500mL bottle neck stamped L5331 18:22 poured into a tulip pint glass at fridge temp 6.8% ABV. The beer pours dark brown with garnet highlights and khaki colored head. The head recedes to a thin ring and single layer of bubbles. Thick lacing. The aroma is a mild mix of toasted and roasted malt with notes of black coffee and dark chocolate. The taste is a bittersweet repeat of the nose. Chocolate, coffee, toasted sweet bread all mingle. Mild finishing bitterness. The feel is thin to medium bodied with just less that average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Overall, very tasty and easy drinking porter.

I'll try to get another in before the thread shuts down. Cheers all!

 

I have moved down the street from one taproom to another, and my second new Beer of the day is almost the polar opposite of the first. But I get to tick another state and another brewery.



Toppling Goliath Pseudo Sue Hazy Pale Ale

Pint enjoyed on tap at Noble Hop Bierhaus in Hillsboro, OR.

The body is a completely opaque and slightly muddy yellow-orange, with a skimpy head of cream-colored foam that leaves impressive lacing. The nose is deep with citrus (orange peel, grapefruit juice, lime zest) and a dazzling floral component. If the flavor matches the nose, I am in for a real treat.

The nose zigs, the flavor zags. It opens spicy and floral/woody, backed with bitter grapefruit peel and orange oil. Not too sweet! The mid-palate is thick-cut orange marmalade and lemon curd, with a mild grainy character in the background. Notes of underripe mango, honeydew, and a breeze of pine add interest. Finishes with mild bitterness and harsh hop burn. Medium-bodied with fluffy consistency. Agreeable carbonation provides a good bite.

Overall, this is a good hazy pale that doesn't quite live up to the promise of the nose and is burdened with an unpleasant level of hop burn. It has attributes I really like (citrus variety, flavor doesn't drop abruptly like most hazies, not too sweet) and drawbacks I can't ignore (punishing hop burn).

It yields hop burps that are utterly spectacular.

 

That's probably the best variant they have made ovee the years. It was never tagged with a specific bourbon in the past. I may pop in next time I'm in Bloomington to see if they have any left.

 

Good evening, BAs! Tonight‘s new beer is one of the newly added styles that I have not yet reviewed - Tucher’s “Rotbier” A German red lager:



Pours deep Amber almost copper; hazy body; off-white head with a few rocks; OK cap Retention; solid ring; spots of lace. Caramel malt nose; baked bread. Tongue follows nose with mild bitterness. Clean, dry feel; medium minus body; moderate minus carbonation. Overall, the taste is biscuit with a drizzle of caramel; A bready malt forward lager that is quite tasty.

3.75/4.0/4.25/4.25/4.25
Score: 4.16 rDev +2.7%


I would drink this beer again, but would not seek it out. Cheers!

 

Outside my normal range here NBW

Untitled Art Dubai Chocolate Bar Stout

12oz can stamped BB020227 poured into a shaker pint glass at fridge temp 8% ABV. The beer pours dense black with light brown head. The head recedes to a thin ring and single layer of bubbles. The aroma is moderate in strength featuring sweet milk chocolate. The taste is more of the same with sweet chocolate candy and minimal bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium plus bodied with average carbonation and a semi dry finish with the candy sweetness barely contained. Overall, enjoyable slow sipper. Loads of sweet chocolate, but it's pretty well done.

Cheers all!

 

Good Sunday evening everyone. I've got a lot of catching up to do! Today I have no songs from the wood to make you feel much better than you could know. All quiet in the wild. The musical we attended Friday - take it or leave it and I'd advise leave it. Second show where the secondary cast exceeded the leads and it was kind of a disjointed tale. Not our cup o' beer, but a night out is a welcome thing.

I do have the tale of the locked door, though. We are emptying things out preparing for an additikn project. The easiest way to get stuff out is an antique solid oak door with a skeleton key. I have forks for my tractor - easy, right? Alas, said skeleton key has vanished into a local black hole. Can't find a locksmith even willing to look. Tried picking it following the Google. No dice. Bought "master" skeleton keys - less dice. Decided to pop the hinges - door won't budge. Jiggled the hell outta everything, wiggled the skeleton keys around some more. Gave up, fetched the Sawzall, come back and the bolt is open. I'm not above claiming "I fixed it" when the inexplicable happens. Bet your ass that lock is never, e-e-e-ever locking again! I got more done in an hour than.we did all week. We live on a very busy road - life with the free sign is really short!

So tonight's beer...




Barreled Souls DBA Blonde on Blonde. A 20.4% - yes, 20.4% - "blonde" barleywine. It is aged for 25 months and 28 days in Willett Family Estates Bourbon barrels then Sazerac Rye. Bottle 158 of 960.

TLR version - this is f-ing awesome. Me: you guys can't top this one. Barreled Souls: Hold my beer...

Pours drop dead gorgeous like a @jonphisher prom outfit. Absolutely crystal clear amber color with a fleeting burst of khaki colored bubbles. No head but a constant stream of microbubbles rise through the liquid.

Cold, the aroma is timid. It blooms explosively with just a little warmth. There's bourbon and it is certainly not restrained but its not a boozy smell. Then I get mostly the barleywine part with honey, caramel, brown sugar, fruitiness. There's a bit of a sweet tobacco smell and there's ample woodiness. Over the top is a mild spice like licorice or maybe clove, and I think I'm getting some maple and cedar. Some vanilla for sure. I can't say it smells boozy, even trying to find it, which is amazing considering. The bourbon and rye aren't shy but it doesnt scream alcohol. It's extremely harmonious - all the components just meld into an overall pleasing smell.

That ABV shows up on the sip, but only sometimes. Mostly the alcohol is pretty well disguised but every once in a while it delivers a slap across the face. Obviously there's plenty of bourbon but there's spicy rye that is noticeable. Loads and loads of barrel notes lead the way. Almost cedar-like resinous taste. And oh yeah - the rest of the barleywine chorus joins in. Plenty of caramel and a honey-like taste. Brown sugar. It's not as intense on the sweet side as some of their barleywines but it has some slight stickiness. Lots of woody oakiness. I do think I'm getting a little maple in the taste. Mild fruitiness - sort of in the apple or pear realm - not a typical dark fruit bomb. It's bold and it is intense.

The feel is actually light for as big as this is. The alcohol does show up as a tingle at the end but part of that is the oaky phenolic adding some spiciness. Faint licorice in the aftertaste.

This is a sipper, and I think it's pretty amazing. It's certainly brash and in your face with intense flavor, but it somehow isn't a sweet/syrupy/hot boozy mess. It's like a shot of whiskey with a "light" barleywine chaser. I have another bottle and I expect it to age elegantly. Dare I say this pushes toward the 5.0 mark? Why, yes... indeed I do.

 

@jonphisher
Great opening. Being married to a teacher for 30 years has given me some insight into the chaos of end of year festivities. Stay strong!

 

Even a sober visit to Bamberg would awesome, the beer turns it into the Pilgrimage it is. Wish I had gone sooner on my 3-year taxpayer funded tour. Bavaria & Franconia rule!

 

The missus just asked me where I got the bourbon and she's right. This has that kind of color - amber, deep reddish tints. And it's been in the glass almost an hour and has little bubbles rising through.

But let's be real - that only makes it a little closer second place finisher.

 

I brought home some cans from Noble Hop Bierhaus, including this Helles from the usually reliable Ferment Brewing of Hood River, OR.

("usually reliable" = foreshadowing)



Pale yellow-gold and brilliantly clear, with a rocky and somewhat loose head of snowy white foam. Leaves nice clumps of lacing. The nose starts with an appealing dry maltiness and spicy floral hops, followed by...

*needle scratching across a record*

...buttered corn.

Oh no.

Flavor follows, with nice toasty malt rear-ended by an overarching buttered corn note.

That's diacetyl, and I do not like it.

If you're less sensitive to diacetyl, you might appreciate the toasty malt and prominent floral hops. Or the appealing light body and lively carbonation.

Sorry, Ferment Brewing. I'm a fan of your work, and I like Helles lagers, but I can't finish this glass.

I hate to end a New Beer Weekend on a down note, and I love to end the weekend with a big imperial stout. Perhaps I can bring those two aspirations together...

 

But at least you have galliards and lute songs served in chilling ale.

 

Wayfinder Infinite Hotel (collaboration with Bierstadt Lagerhaus)
Rice Lager
4.06/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
CANNED ON 03/13/26. Poured into a Samuel Adams Perfect Pint.

A: Crystal clear gold with 1-2 finger frothy white head with good retention and scraps of lacing.

S: Light pils malt breadiness with lemony noble hop

T: Flavor is very clean bready pils maltiness but turned down a notch with the similar lemon noble hop in the finish. Low bitterness.

M: Crisp and drinkable with light body, moderate-high carbonation that gives a light creamy impression, and dry finish.

O: Infinite Hotel rice lager is an excellent pale lager - not a surprise considering the collaborators. Impressive beer with max flavor and feel for the style while still remaining highly drinkable.