New Beer Sunday (week 431)

***New American Porter Sunday!!!

G'day Matt and to the rest of the NBS crew!

It's heading to the upper 80s here in Casper and I'm digging it. It has been a long, stubborn Winter but it looks like he's finally going away.

My new brew for today, a collaboration effort between Deschutes and Great Lakes, and a fine effort it is.
My review: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/63/92863/?ba=Bitterbill

And a pic I posted earlier in the WBAYDN thread:



Cheers!

 

Hells yeah, folks! My favorite BA thread!

This was my British Invasion haul for the weekend:

The JW Lees are news to me - held off 'til today - for a little British ale action!

Breezy upper-50's/low 60's day on LI, partly cloudy

Took a nice walk with the missus after breakfast to enjoy the weather, then got to the beers.

Starting with the J.W. Lees Harvest (Lagavulin Cask). Bias: I love Lagavulin. I was a single malt man before I got into craft beers, and Lagavulin was one of my top 5 Scotch whiskies. Super smoke and peat action there, my beer-loving friends, so I knew this was going to be something.

A straight center-pour barely kicked up a head on this English barleywine.

Rather thin-bodied, for any type of barleywine, but I am okay with that. I expected a unique beer experience here. Not quite a typical barleywine.

The head is already dissipated...

The British really know their shit. Barley malts woven gracefully into the peat and smoke, adding toffee and caramel notes to this delicate brew.

Pay no heed to the Russian vodka in the background. There's some Tanqueray farther down the line for my martini needs (off-topic: vermouth soaked olives really fit the bill if you're a martini lover - I do believe I discovered the perfect martini for myself last night - but that's a topic for another website, I suppose - lol)

Hungry, I opted for some smoked gouda, counting on the smoke and peat from the ale to complement the smoky cheese. Bingo! If there is like, a "gouda advocacy" website, I should start posting there. It's like, the best cheese - for beer in particular.

The missus caught wind of the gouda action, and I allowed her to participate

Being of the "British Invasion" mindset, I turned to some NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) music to accompany my endeavors today...

One of my favorite songs from Saxon. Don't laugh, but I actually have most of their early shit on vinyl (alright, laugh).
Pics or it didn't happen? Okay:

Good times. Probably the only kid on LI listening to Saxon back then ...

I'll be back later when I pop the cap on Lees' Harvest ale aged in the sherry casks...

I'll leave you with this Saxon classic:

 

New (sorta') Gose Sunday

Greetings NSBer's,

from a cool and damp SCMN. I've been back to MN for the past 20 years now and Memorial weekend can really vary in terms of weather. There have been simply gorgeous to hot/humid and the more common cool and rainy. At least that is what is seems like. Hopefully, it won't dampen our local small city parade tomorrow. I always like that and having a grandkid around allows an even greater appreciation and enjoyment.
So a toast to all those who sacrifice in the infinite number of ways to make this such a great place to be.
Okay, so my hedge. I must confess I did have this beer yesterday too. I needed a German style beer to enjoy an all German Champions League final. I will submit a "true" new beer later today, but this one deserves attention for a great summer drinker from a brewery that is hitting on all cylinders lately with interesting and highly drinkable beers. I'm no expert on this style, so this is mostly on enjoyment, which this one holds in spades for those who appreciate softer and subtlier flavors and a high level of drinkability.
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/417/92036/?ba=garymuchow

Best to All - although I intend on being back later with a beer that better blends with this weather.

 

Belgian Strong Dark Ale style from New Glraus. Cheers BA's!



Review here.

 

New Hefeweizen Beer Sunday!

A big shout out to the NBS group, from the Jersey Shore where the sun is shining in a clear blue sky, the temps are upper 60s and climbing, it's breezy, and it promises to be a great day.

I knocked out some chores this morning and even cut the grass, after which I rewarded my thirst with this timely seasonal offering from Sly Fox in PA : http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/10397/29734/?ba=NiceTaps. Sly Fox is new to me and we're off to a good start.
This was a right beer to have to quench the 'after-chores thirst' without getting in the way. Now its time to clean up and head around the corner and up the block with my better half for some holiday weekend good times. Friends who are easing into the craft scene one beer at a time are putting on a hootenany. It should be a blast.

I cannot finish without pausing to honor and remember the heroic Americans who've made the ultimate sacrifice for my freedom. Let's not forget that Memorial Day is their day, and I salute them. I take no freedom for granted, including the ability to share a virtual beer with you.

All the best, Cheers!

 

afternoon all, haven't been doin these for awhile, having stone espresso IRS, not bad, coffee def comes out 1st but quickly swallowed up by the licorice/burnt toast flavor and strong hop finish, think I prefer the reg., still in all a nice breakfast stout ! CHEERS ALL !!!

 

Its a beautiful but brisk day here in Mass. Went to church this morning before stopping at the packy store to pick up my first IRS, but alas, it is not quite the weather for such a beer. Instead, I had an IPA I had been wanting to try waiting in my fridge. It is light, smooth, citrusy, well balanced, and down right delicious. I also thought its title was appropriate for this holiday weekend. Cheers to all you NBS frequenters and first time visitors!

 

Back to my British barleywines from JW Lees...

Got kind cold or didn't really warm up too much on LI - still windy though!

Time for the sherry cask-aged J.W. Lees Harvest Ale.

Like the Lagavulin cask edition, not quite a typical barleywine. Reminded me of an old ale, this time with sherry, adding a fruitiness to the delicate malt flavors and woodsy highlights.

Light/thin body, with airy vapors and spirit-like characteristics.

Smile for the camera

Great colors, sparse head, wonderful flavors...

I had both of these at an appropriate temp - maybe about 55-60 F - and they both got good reviews from yours truly. The casks really adjusted the flavors nicely, giving these ales distinct character.
Also, no alcohol noticed at all - you wanna talk about mellow?
The biggest knock is probably the price - I suppose that can affect some reviews, but I tend to ignore cost as much as possible in a review. That said, these teensy little 9.5 oz. bottles ran $10.95 each in my neck of the woods ...

Sticking with my British Invasion NBS, and two of my all-time faves from Def Leppard, back-to-back, in album order, from the High 'n' Dry album, back in 1981...



That'll do it for me this NBS - have a good 'un, folks - see ya on the boards!

 

Greetings fellow NBSers! I missed last week, I had a work meeting in the morning, and went to a friends for a cookout in the afternoon. Plenty of new brews were had (as anyone who saw my Untappd feed will attest), but the laptop stayed in the bag.

It's one of the biggest days of the year here in the Fourth Corner, as Bellingham plays host to the Ski-to Sea race. http://www.skitosea.com/ There are parades, festivals and general merriment all weekend, plus the big race today. I worked at one of my local breweries that hosts the official block party Friday night, and put in an ass-whoopin' 13 hour shift. I'm not as young as I used to be, and I felt it yesterday as we moved 50 kegs of beer to the the beer garden at the finish line.

My first entry today is also a new brewery for me, a nice Saison: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/22150/58523/?show_hads=N . I hope everyone has a fun and safe day!

 

New fruit beer.

Awesome holiday weekend in West MI. Blue skies and temps in the upper 60s. Light breeze, picture perfect.

Cleaned the garage in the morning, played with the kiddos in the yard, and got in a 5-mile run.

Decent beer today. Quenched my thirst for sure. I didn't pick up on the overwhelming lemon notes the previous reviewers noted.

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/15280/82812/?ba=GRPunk

 

My second brew for this NBS is a beer that isn't terrible, but wouldn't be missed if it had fallen into the Skagit River when the bridge collapsed a few miles South of us the other day: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/2980/94221

 

New American Kolsch Sunday (week 431)

Chilly day and windy too up on the ridge in Mid Hud Val NY. Had to string new line for my hops, looks like 15 feet was just a start for these 2nd year Cascades. They have 30 feet now, lets see if that's enough. Having this Kolsch, not the best of style for sure, but it's one and done as there is a small tasting later. Hope you have a Great American Beer in your hand. Cheers!
Saranac Kolsch

 

My second "mehish" new brew in a row. If you want an Oatmeal Pale Ale, get Ft. George's Sunshine OPA instead of this: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/2391/94222

 

My first new beer of the day was Dogfish Head's Positive Contact. I thought it was good, but for the most part I'm a fan of all things Dogfish so I might be a bit biased. Here's my review: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/10099/76781/?ba=bluejacket74

I should have another new beer review on here in a little bit, and my pics will be on the "What are you drinking now" thread later today.

 

NEW DIPA SUNDAY

Cool and breezy, but sunny and pleasant enough here South Central PA. Low key day today. We took the little guy for a very long walk with his grandma. I did a little light yard work and settled in to read the paper with this




http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/73/18421/?ba=DIM

Cheers and happy NBS all!

 

Well, the Mariners aren't losing (they aren't winning either, but I try to be optimistic) and the World 600 just started, and there's at least one more on the board that's new to me, so maybe this won't be my last entry after all. A nicely solid example, from one of our regional breweries that sometimes doesn't get enough attention. I think this is a good example of the type of brew that the "Grass is greener" thread was about. Probably not worth a lot of effort to get, but very enjoyable if you see it: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1386/4374/?ba=beertunes

 

Greetings and a Happy Memorial Day Weekend to one and all.

Checking in from the great northwest with a special release, Babylon Double IPA from the folks at Ninkasi. A run of the mill DIPA I'm afraid, can't hold a candle to the Tricerahops, which os one of my favorites.

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/14400/81762/?ba=RJLarse

Unsettled but warm here in eastern Washington. Temps in the low 70's, and at one point I had raindrops on my deck which was also bathed in sunshine. Go figure? All things considered it's a great looking unofficial start of summer.

Happy Trails!

 

FWIW, the bars around here that have had the Babylon on, have listed it as an "English Style" ImpIPA, so probably wouldn't have that big blast of hops that Tricerahops has.

 

Chilly and scattered showers here in Chicago. Not exactly the holiday weekend we were hoping for, but Summer will come soon enough. We're having a cookout at my youngest brothers place and among my other responsibilities, I was tasked with bringing some beer. Among the bombers was this tasty bad boy.



http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/28178/77707/?ba=mecummins

Happy Memorial Day to you all!