New Beer Sunday (week 462)

Sorry no pic but surly coffee bender thanks to my uncle in Minnesota

 

A true English IPA? With big grassy English hops mixing with all that sweet bread malt?

YES!!! New beer success!

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/7944/23454/?ba=Premo88

I love English pale ales, ESBs, bitters and browns, but I never thought much of the English IPA because the few I've tried all taste like English pale ales (sans "India, you might say). There's nothing wrong with them; they simply fail to distinguish themselves as a unique style. But this Ridgeway IPA is much, much hoppier than any English ale I've tried so far, yet it's holding onto that English ale fruity sweetness I love so much. Our American spin on the IPA has sailed back to the birthplace, and it's good.

Ridgeway note: Check out their website if you like all things British/beer/British beer history and how the American craft beer scene is influencing the U.K. Ridgeway is relatively new but sprung from traditional English brewing roots, and it's interesting how they're taking our spin on their beers and re-spinning it with a British flair. A cross-Atlantic collaboration sort of thing ... and we all win!

... now if only my Dallas Stars could sneak in a goal or three ...

Cheers!

 

New American Double/Imperial Stout

Happy NBS everyone! For my first (and maybe last) new beer for today, I just finished a bottle of Anchorage Brewing's Darkest Hour Belgian Style Imperial Stout: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/24903/94657/?ba=bluejacket74



I didn't pick up much of if any of the Belgian yeast in this brew, but I did like a lot of the barrel aged character since this was aged in both French oak pinot noir and Rye whiskey barrels. I thought it was a pretty good brew overall, and it's one that I would love to try again at some point. If I have another new beer review on here later, I'll make sure to post it here. If I just drink some old favorites, then I'll put the pics on the "What are you drinking now" thread. And I'll make sure to check back and see what everyone else's new beers today are. Cheers!

 

>>>>>> New Chery Chocolate Bock Sunday <<<<<<

Samuel Adams Cherry Chocolate Bock.
One of the remaining selections from my San Adams Holiday Sampler.
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/35/68000/?ba=RJLarse

Not a bad brew. Certainly not the kind of thing you want to drink a lot of, but on a frosty afternoon in eastern Washington it helps to take the chill off.

Frosty and cold here. The frost never came off the trees today, so the white branches will be all the thicker tomorrow morning. A good day to have a new beer and watch the Seahawks chart their course to a bye week, home field advantage and hopefully a Super Bowl win. I changed my avatar for the playoff run.

Happy Trails!

 

Three new beers for me this Sunday!

Lagunitas Sucks: Enjoyed this one quite a bit, possibly my favorite DIPA I have had yet, it seemed to have more "perceived bitterness" than actual bitterness, kind of a light bitterness I guess and I really enjoyed it.

Tyranena The Devil Made Me Do It Imperial Oatmeal Porter: I have heard really good things about this beer, and it lived up to the hype. Lots of people have compared this to FBS, they are absolutely right. This might even be better than FBS. The one thing I did find was that the overall flavor faded a bit as it warmed up, which is counter to pretty much every other stout/porter I have had. Awesome stuff, though

Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout: Just cracked this beer to celebrate the Packers miraculous victory. This is the first Bourbon Barrel Aged beer I have had and it exceeded all expectations. When I first opened it and got nothing but bourbon on the nose, I was a little worried but this beer is incredible. This beer deserves all the accolades it receives.

GO PACK GO!

 

Took advantage of a break in the rain and cold to take down some of the outside Christmas lights before we head back to work tomorrow.

Also found a honey baked ham gift card from last year that we never used, so the wife and I picked up a free ham today and had an impromptu late holiday dinner for two. She made some Au gratin potatoes, green beans, rolls, and a nice salad to go with the ham.

Tonight seemed like a good night to open up a bottle of 2012 Old Guardian.



Although not strictly a new beer for me since I had the 2013 release earlier this year, the is my first 2012 bottle, and the first of this brew with a bit of age on it. I enjoyed the fresh 2013, but the 2012 takes this to a new level. The alcohol heat has dissipated quite a bit, and there is a nice sweetness and balance to the 2012. One of my favorite barley wines for sure,

Cheers!

 

Happy New Collaboration Sunday!

Another dreary, warm, muggy Sunday in NE Florida. Got some much needed rain that hopefully means a cooling trend is on the way. Spent the day bottling home-brew. I usually keg my beer, but I like to bottle "special" stuff, or brews that bottle-age well. Did 4 gallons of palm fruit/orange zest mead, 4 gallons of ginger/lemongrass mead, 2 gallons of geueze, and 2 gallons of strawberry lambic. What a PITA! Reminds me of why I keg. I finally have all carboys, tubing, etc cleaned up and I'm relaxing with a Florida Three Way collaboration citrus IPA. I wanted to do a formal review, but it's not up yet on BA and I wasn't sure of the details to be confident adding it myself. I believe it's a collab between Green Room Brewing (where I got my growler), JDubs, and Bold City Brewery. American IPA with orange zest.

Pours a very cloudy pale amber with a thin white head that has some staying power. Not the prettiest beer I've seen. Dank hops jump out front in the aroma, very inviting. Hints of citrus in the background, and very low bready malt. The flavor is very complex, with dank, resiny hops up front. Sweet, candy-like citrus flavors follow, supported by a honey-like malty sweetness. Low alcohol adds to the sweetness. Despite the sweet malt flavor, the beer finishes nice and dry, with a lingering, pleasant bitterness. Medium-high carbonation helps with the mouthfeel. I'm not a big fan of overtly fruity beers, and despite this being an IPA brewed with citrus zest, it is very enjoyable. Easy to mistake the citrus for a hop character. I suspect this is a "once-and-done" brew, which is too bad - I really like it!

 

Haven't participated in a couple weeks so figured I would come back with a bang. Opened my first ever can of Heady Topper thanks to Sandman3479. Awesome beer, well worth the months I have been waiting to try it.

http://i764.photobucket.com/albums/xx284/Saadams14/IMAG1434_zpsc224af7b.jpg

Appearance- Only poured about an ounce as this one is supposed to be enjoyed from the can. Pours a hazy golden orange, decent sized white head for the pour and moderate lacing. Quite hazy but the can states that it is the intention.

Smell- Wow, as soon as I lifted the tab on the can the smell poured out. Pine and more pine, some grapefruit and orange in their as well. I actually get a bit of bitter orange in there also, very pleasant.

Taste- Very well balanced, not bitter at all for a DIPA. Some caramel and malty sweetness, good amount of orange in there. I get some lemon and citrus on the back end with a bit of pine. Awesome taste.

Mouthfeel- A bit thick for the style but it works well. A bit of a creamy texture. Not overly drying and leaves a slick feeling in the mouth.

Overall- Awesome DIPA and a great beer in general. Balance is awesome for such a hoppy beer and one with a higher ABV. Definitely recommend it.

 

New White Ale Sunday

Greetings from wet and raw Southern, CT,

We spent the day doing Christmas with my in laws. Just now getting settled at home with this white ale my sister sent me from NC as I route for the Eagles.

This was a good brew. I look at the white ale the same way as the black ale- so a bit of a hybrid style. Perhaps this is almost like an Americanized Witbier which would not receive any complaints from me:

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/2446/55375/?ba=CHADMC3

 

This sounds awesome!

 

Happy New Chocolate Milk Stout Sunday!

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/2372/62984/?ba=MadCat
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/454/35385/?ba=MadCat

Got some Uncle Dood's dounuts for breakfast, watched the crazy Bears/Packers game. Now I'm watching my Eagles. I had a Terrapin Moo Hoo first, and the went with an Arcadia Cocoa Loco. Had to give some milk stouts a shot, figured this was a good time to try them. Moo Hoo was great, disappointed in the Cocoa Loco. Such is life.