New Beer Sunday (week 481)

Happy Sunday BA. Figured I would chime in for the first time after seeing so many good ba's take up the cause.

Finally started seeing thirsty dog distributed around here the past few months. I got to try Wulver, and Siberian Night for the first time a few weeks ago. I usually like to go down the line of any new, or new to me, brewery.
I picked up a bottle of hoppus maximus. Nothing crazy or special here just a pretty average amber ale. Light, malty, and bready with subtle sweetness. Works well as a session ale,

 

Hah, great job Cavedave to get this one rolling today! I'm a bit late, since I went out to dinner with my mother and daughter. Weather started off sunny and a warm 75 degrees. Right now some weak storms are passing through southern WI. Okay, the power went out as I write this and I have to reset my router...

I am trying Howler IPA, from Black Husky brewing in tiny Pembine WI near the Upper Peninsula border. It's a tiny one man operation that somehow bottles and brings beer all the way (over 4 hours) to Madison. This is a bold IPA that is brewed with honey. It is sweet, as in you can taste the caramel malts and honey, but really brings in the bitterness from an over load of hopping. It is somewhat dank, floral, and a good amount of bitter with some citrus notes. It is very enjoyable and I am glad to have the opportunity to try it.


We'll see how the night goes, maybe I can sneak in another new beer. Cheers!

 

Oh, I thought it said "New BEERS Sunday". My bad. As seen on "What beer are you drinking now"

Looks like I have a Hell theme going on here. Without looking up the listing, I am pretty sure we have an American style Barleywine here. I prefer the english style, but this one is kind of subdued. Straddles the line a little. Hard to describe this one though. I would say that it almost smells like cedar. I get a little bourbon, but not as much as the wood flavor in general. Very strange profile. Not bad, but not great. I need to read some reviews to see if someone more gifted can describe what I taste. Real useful review. You're welcome. Going with 3.50 for now

 

Ok this is a bit of a duplicate post because I posted this yesterday in "what beer are you drinking now", but it is new to me so I wanted to put it up again on this thread.

This is a delicious easy drinking IPA that is more on the herbal side with slight hints of tropical fruit. This is brewed by a husband and wife who don't even have a brewery... they rent one when they want to make a batch! My wife brought this back from Boston last week.

Check 'em out... http://prettybeer.com/wp/ Pretty cool stuff and a neat story... and great beer!

 

NEW SAISON SUNDAY

Hello again NBSers. Beautiful Mother's day, sunny, warm, and breezy. After a massive Mother's day lunch, this sensational saison may just be dinner.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/4/108002/?ba=DIM



I was so excited when I learned that Allagash had a saison coming. I forgot all about it until I saw this 4pack the other. Its as good as I hoped. Cheers!

 

New Mail Easy Drinking India Pale Ale Sunday!



Ok, Ithaca doesn't distribute here in Eastern Baltimore. So having this and the Flower Power yesterday has completely made my weekend. This beer is Beautiful! Look at that shade of orange/light amber. The aroma is of citrus (oranges and lemon zest) and tropical stone fruits, with hints of dank hops. Nice sweet grains in the background. The taste is just as the nose details. Nice Citrus slams the palate with tropical notes underneath. Floral hops are present just before a nice slightly toasted grain finish with a subtle amount of bitterness. Slightly dry, not intense. The body on this beer is the winner! Medium-light body with par carbonation.
Overall: This beer is a very good IMO. Balance is key with a luscious body and enjoyable hop/malt components. This beer is incredible for being under 7% ABV. This beer reminds me of a sweeter version of Another One from Maine Beer Company. So yeah, I like it. This brew is Worthy!

Cheers NBSers!

 

Ya know when I was a little tyke, way back in the salad days of yore, my pap would take me out on his mushroom hunting expeditions. Puffballs, the gammit, we'd eat them right there. He grew them in planters in the house all sorts of stuff. I had a love/hate/love phase with them as I grew up and my palate changed.

Already have about 2 other NBS brews today, but I wont clog the thread with them.

Always love some fresh shrooms and making stroganoff at home. A little to warm for that meal these days, but also agreed on your morel pairing of lighter bodied stouts in the food forum.

 

I am quite curious about the foray of some of the larger brewers (at least I could say larger and more noticeable in my mind) such as Stone and Allagash going for a saison. Allagash with their Belgian background perhaps less so, but a good single of each of these beers is certainly on my radar. Would love to taste their "spin" on them.

 

Greetings all from the great northwest, with a tip of the cap to @cavedave for taking on the weekly NBS setup task.

After last week's discussion on the future of NBS I had a few thoughts this past week on how to make it sustainable, but less of an obligation for an MC. I'll PM Dave at some point with my thoughts.

Today it's Flume Creek IPA. When I found this brew I thought it was a newly started brewery in the far northwest corner of Washington, but I see my old BA friends @woemad and @Chelsea1905 have had the beer over 3 years ago. Must not be in the stores I shop, until now? And frankly it doesn't matter, because it's not a great IPA. Average at best. I'd probably pass on this one should I see it again.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16334/65510/?ba=RJLarse

Mostly sunny here in eastern Washington, breezy with temps in the low 60's. A warming trend on the way, so I think we are talking golf next weekend.

Until then... Happy Trails!

 

New Strong Ale Sunday

I received this tasty can in a trade with @justsowers who really hooked it up. Center poured this bad boy with as much force as I could and got maybe a 1/2” of head. Smell is sweet..mostly caramel and toffee. Taste is much the same but finishes with just enough hop bitterness to keep it from being too sweet. Nice and thick/oily on the tongue and enough carbonation to bounce the flavors around on your tongue. I may have over indulged my palate and stomach last night by polishing off a bomber of Fremont Dark Star Oatmeal and a BA Yeti. I couldn’t find anything in the fridge that seemed to appeal to my taste buds but this was perfect.

 

I better post today seeing that I finally got my hands on one of these and am drinking it now.
Viva cavedave and utopiajane as co-keepers of the flame, and I'm sure you'll both do a bang up job.
Rodenbach Grand Cru:

A nice garnet color with some head but not overly carbonated.
Sour and tart but balanced, with cherries, oak, and a pervasive vinegar flavor.
Mouthfeel is light and effervescent.
This is a nice beer, and a no brainer for 7.99 per 750ml. I hope to get 1 or 2 more before they dissapear.

 

A toast to Matt going out and Dave coming in ... thanks to you both for your part in sheperding NBS!

On to the brew:



Buffalo Bayou is a relatively new brewery in Houston, though starting in 2011 makes it one of the older ones among this latest and still-on-going explosion of craft breweries in Texas. Their copper ale is fantastic -- a simple beer with no major bells or whistles but damn tasty. It's called 1836, and if you're in Houston, try it. It's easy to find.

Buffalo Sunset is ... well ... not labeled by style. The brewer does not give us a style name, but it's super black, full of coffee and loaded with sweet dark malt flavor, so even with the massive amount of hops thrown in (90 IBUs), I'm calling it an American imperial stout. BA has it labeled as an American imperial IPA, and it's not that, but it could be a "black IPA" -- the hops are for real.



At 9.2% ABV, that "bottled Sept. 2013" is meaningful, because the alcohol in this thing has been tamed nicely by the few months in the bottle. With only beer taste overpowering the potential booziness, it's EXACTLY what I want from a big coffee stout, so it's my first 5s across the board review. I simply can't find a thing wrong with it.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/28255/89889/?ba=Premo88

The head on this sucker was, again, perfect -- big, thick, tan and sticky:





I didn't give it much of a pour, but the head bloomed in a big way.

Buffalo Sunset iis part of, of course, this Texas brewery's "Secessionist Series."


Buffalo Bayou is quickly becoming a new favorite of mine. Their stuff is stacking up nicely with Deep Ellum, Karbach, (512), Community and several others here in Texas. Can't wait to visit the brewery!

Cheers to all and good luck, Dave and utopiajane, as you guide us through our future adventures here on Sunday!

 

Two bottles (750ml) at 12%...would LOVE to see you after that!!

 

I rest my case.

 

New American Dark Wheat Ale Sunday

Hello all! Glad to see that NBS is alive! Thanks cavedave for taking the helm! I would hate to see this die...I've been following it for several years and look forward to it each week.

Well, the weather here in Milwaukee County certainly has been pleasant. I'm still trying Wisconsin beers. I'm sure I'm going to miss the Jersey Shore and the City (N.Y.C. that is). But, Wisconsin has great beers (and a wonderful public museum and a basilica that is amazing, and the Harley Museum is something to see). I'm getting used to it here. And, liking it.

Anyway, "Hello, My Name is Joe" fit the new beer just fine. Not only is my name Joe, but the dark wheat infused with rich coffee is a GREAT brew! I completely loved this! I highly recommend it to beer lovers who like some coffee flavor!

From 3 Sheeps:

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/28879/95054/?ba=jwc215

Cheers!