New Beer Sunday (week 483)

New DIPA Sunday

Good noon to you Dave. Boy I envy you with retirement coming up and a enough money to retire to someplace nice like vermont. My life is dullsville this week. Nothing happened, the weather is lovely. I like it when it's like that.

These two were the reason to sit in front of the TV on sunday.






http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/2372/60599/?ba=utopiajane








Cheers y'all and Happy New Beer Sunday =)

 

First, Cavedave, please feel free to ship out some of those morels, all of my go to spots were duds or were already picked over this year and I refuse to pay $25/pound at Whole Paycheck!
Having a Toppling Goliath/Tree House David this fine Sunday morning. Yes, yes, I know it isn't yet noon here yet in the great midwest, but I ran 5 miles AND played two sets of tennis already, so dammit, I'm drinking! Just picked up this beer at TG on Friday, it was bottled Thursday. It is a collab Toppling Goliath and Tree House. This is a delicious beer: I understand it is Citra, Mosaic and Simcoe hop combo which really pops in the aroma and the flavor. The bitterness is pleasantly and surprisingly soft, it is definitely tropical and juicy. The label tells me that it's an 8.6% ABV, but it goes down very easily on this sunny day. I feel privileged to have snagged a few bottles of this goodness. So cheers to new beers, cheers to Sunday and cheers to all those amazing people at places like TG and TH who give us these special gifts!

 

Hey what's going on?

Well for our hero today, it seemed like a perfect opportunity looking for some new suds. Went out Saturday for a local beer run, while I am watching the homebrew go gangbusters. Tweaked the recipe, and used different yeast and the results are looking much better so all hope is not lost.

It's another Memorial day weekend and it's been gorgeous weather as well here in the DC area. As usual rolling thunder is in town along with the many other riders. I have been asked in the past if I would ride during the time it's going on and I never do, laying low. Already 3 (motorcycle) riders have been killed on the beltway yesterday, nobody is sure if they were here to participate in rolling thunder or not, so hopefully safe travels for our vets coming in to town and visitors, and more importantly don't drink and ride! We all want to see you ride first and then drink later again of course! On that note thank you for your service.

In other news, the farmers market today is looking bountiful as the pickups come in, and like most of you it is time for summer to be around the corner. With that it seems like the last beer run gave me an excuse to get rid of some of my stouts. One that I have been putting off for ages, always saying every year I'll try that, and then I don't..

This time...

no more...

NBS for me today is...

Rogue XS Imperial Stout (Vintage 2013)


Rogue - XS Imperial Stout 2013 by imbibehour, on Flickr

And I don't care what you say, that bottle is cool...

Linked review or just read below between the lines: http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/132/356/?ba=smakawhat

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look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5 | Final Score: 3.58

Poured from the big ceramic bottle into a snifter glass. Vintage 2013.

Kind of awkward with the slapping chug out of the bottle, but comes out classic walnut dark brown, and makes a simple cocoa brown head of two fingers. Some faint see through quality around the edges under the collar, giving a lighter mahogany/chestnut/tan hue. Lots of leopard and spotty coating lacing on the glass, and big soapy bubbles in the middle.

A soft grainy action, and light charring roast comes through. It's quite subtle even for just a regular Imperial Stout. There's faint tobacco and hints of beef jerky and salt aromas to match. Hints at some smokey character interestingly.

Palate comes surprisingly with lots of hop bitterness. Big finishing notes of hop oil pine and resin. Matching bitterness of char and roast to go with it. This almost has American slammed barleywine written over it on a hop angle. Leafy charring roast is all over this thing to match and the two just seem to be fighting my palate. I am shocked there is so much bitterness on this for being what looks like an aged beer. Fruit berry of sour cherry comes through a bit as it warms for some pleasantries. Texture is also a bit wet as well, and seems slightly flattened.

Overall, it seems like a clash of flavors that don't really do it for me. It's not horrible but it's nothing like what I was expecting. So where's the malt and chocolate for starters? Oh well, glad to have tried it, not all is lost.

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This is not what I was expecting at all from this beer, it sort of came off like an amped up roasted American barleywine strangely. Ingredients list include honey (where is the sweetness on this beer?), and licorice (is that why this is drying and bitter?). Been a lot of Imperial Stouts in the realm out there that I've enjoyed and this is very different, and in a way... sort of weird??

More to come as always, the beer run produced some good stuffages, and I went on a German kick which I am excited about... (tentative plans!!!)

Till then till next beer! (which I am sure will be in less than an hour from now)

Cheers all!!

 

Would say this is a good choice for some nice smoked sausage, but I was wrong!
Usually stone is pretty good but this saison is lacking

 

Why is it lacking? What aromas/flavors are you picking up? Let us know more my man.

 

Hello all!

I haven't done one of these since I was in Europe this fall... back in MN, I've been hitting up some of the local taprooms. Yesterday I went to the Surly taproom and got to try something I'd recently acquired a bottle of: Pentagram. I picked up a bomber last week and have been waiting to try it, but once I saw it at the taproom, I figured I'd give it a shot there and sit on the bottle for a year.



It poured a real muddy reddish brown, nice and opaque and cloudy, with a small head of tan bubbles. The aroma was such a nice throwback to Belgium, when the sours abounded. It had a dark sourness to it, reminiscent of a Flanders Oud Bruin, with plenty of dark cherries, blackberries and some plum. A little red wine and some acetic character too. This was tempered by a little brown sugar and molasses sweetness. The funk was noticeable but not overpowering: just a little bit of dry tobacco and woodiness, along with some "barnyard" kind of funkiness.

The flavor followed nicely and had a nice progression of flavors, if you will. I love it when beers have a noticeable "journey" of flavors that transition as you drink, not just a cacophony of tastes that hit you at once. This one started off fairly dry and a little tart, beginning with dry, tobacco and oak funkiness and then into a sort of dry, tart cherry flavor. This then became a little more juicy, with more real sourness. Cherries, blackberries and plums flow into a wetter, barnyard sort of funk. There's also something that reminds me of warm apple cider, all spiced up with cinnamon and whatnot. The finish dries out, continuing with a nice funky kick, a little tobacco and hay, lingering on the palate for a while. All the flavors are sharp and crisp, but never overly so.

The mouthfeel was medium to medium full and had that cloudy, almost creamy sort of mouthfeel I'd expect from a good funky dark sour like this. The carbonation was moderate, just enough to keep things moving but not so much to kick up that sting from the sourness. It carries the flavors of the beer really well.

Overall this was a damn fine dark sour- a great balance between sweet, sour, and funky. The flavors were strong, but never harsh, and they flowed seamlessly into one another. I'm really excited to see how the bottle I still have will change with a year of age on it.

All in all, the afternoon at Surly was wonderful (Cacao Bender, BLAKKR, and cask Bitter Brewer were all highlights as well) and I cannot wait to head back.

Cheers!

 

Got one of these in my fridge along with one from Allagash, looking forward to them.

 

Good morning to all of the denizens of the realm and our intrepid, sanguine host for the day, cavedave.

I had a highly sought after beer pop up on my radar screens recently that I didn't think I would see so soon since we just got Founders distro and I am taking the opportunity to share on NBS.

KBS, Kentucky Breakfast Stout.

Poured from a glorious 12 oz. bottle, and I do consider this beer a bargain at 19.99 per 4 pack. 70 IBU's, 11.2 % alcohol, and assuredly enough calories for a small meal.

I open it, and get a whiff of some barrel and coffee, but it is mild in comparison to some others. Now here it comes out of the bottle, glug, glug, glug, very thick and viscous with a beautiful tan brown foam on top of jet black liquid.
The taste is coffee and chocolate in near equal parts, and it is roasty, oh brother is it roasty! It's easy to see why this is a favorite on a cold or holiday morning in the upper Midwest. There is also some vanilla that comes out in prominence, and maybe some sweetness (raisins, dark cherry) that I can't quite wrap my taste buds around but it is there. There are some hops and a little bitterness as well, but the roastiness cancels out most of those IBU's.
Mouthfeel is medium skewing towards the thick side and it a pleasure to drink with the ABV almost perfect in my opinion.
A wunnerful, wunnerful beverage, and I'm glad I have 3 more of these in my "cellar", cheers!

 

Good afternoon Bier Troopers! It's a beautiful day in sunny western PA and I almost feel guilty about being inside drinking beer. Started off the day going to my sons house to take ol' Wormy outside for her morning ablutions - she is totally immersed in squirrel watching and forgets why she's outside. Consequently, no beer until afternoon!

Picked this up at the Lager Mill in Frankenmuth, MI, last week:



I'm not a fan of Stone products, but the generally positive comments on WBAYDN pointed me toward purchasing this. While this doesn't seem like a kolsch to me, it is a pleasant beer, tasting more, I think, of a smoked porter. (How's that for splicing some commas!) The flavor definitely tastes of smoke although no mention is made of smoking any malt so I guess it's just a function of the roasting process. Anyway, this is an easy-drinking dark beer no matter what you call it.

 

Agree! Jahrhundert ist ausgezeighnet!

 

New IPA Sunday

A mid-day Greetings to all NBSer's,
and Happy Memorial Day to everyone and to all those who deserve our gratitude know the sacrifices made were not in vain. Parades seem in order and I wish my grandkid was around for our local one tomorrow.
Thanks to CaveDave on getting us going today and providing one of my all time favs of Phish for audio/video entertainment. I provided a most obvious ditty below in honor of his tale of woe and unwoe.
Looked at the start of today's contributions and thought that it might be a day of lots of hops enhanced flavored of beers, but it didn't stick, so I offer a very nice IPA bring it back on that track, as it seems appropriate for the official start of summer (and what a nice day it is here in SCMN).

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/63/60330/?ba=garymuchow

Best to all this weekend and this week.

 

"Wandered" into City Beer and they've got Duet on tap.
Hear lots of hype here about Alpine...

Seems worthy. Super smooth and easy drinking!
Hoppy NBS to you all!
Hope you're enjoying yet another great new beer!

 

Ugh... that grass wont stop growing (done mowing)... good shower and a drink so...

It's time for New Schwarzbier Sunday!!! (so is that NSBS???)

Mönchshof Schwarzbier - Kulmbacher Brauerei AG


Kulmbacher Brauerei - Mönchshof Schwarzbier
Review listed here: http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/412/2409/?ba=smakawhat

look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4 | Final Score 3.99

Dig me da Schwarz, and this one is a very decent German one I haven't had before. Kind of always forget about the lightness and nice little roasty/toasty coffee and chocolate aromas of these lagers, but they really hit the spot.

 

First time I have ever contributed here but since a great BA started the thread I will chime in here.

I am currently drinking a Logsdon Seizoen Bretta Farmhouse Ale. I have recently come to the realization that I really like sours however though they seem pretty close I really do not like farmhouse/saisons. They are usually to 'earthy' or 'grassy' and without taste/flavor in my opinion.

This beer seems to be just funky/earthy enough to make it work. It pours very similar to many others, a nice golden color with very little head and almost no retention. The taste, and smell for that matter, is almost lemony but there is no real sour/pucker to it at all.

I don't get into real in-depth reviews and give this a 3.75/5.00 and I would actually drink this again.

EDIT: Just found out this is an 8% ABV brew. It should get a little more credit as it drinks very easily and normally these types of beers are lower ABV.

 

I need to remember that checking this or WBAYDN before work is always a bad idea I'll be having my first "City of Dreams" tonight, a new local seasonal hoppy APA featuring El Dorado, Centennial, and Amarillo. Guessing El Dorado is showcased based on the name.


Went to find a purchase link just in case anyone wanted one, but it looks like the first batch has already sold out. There are a couple Against the Grain beers including Citra Ass Down, though, which someone might be interested. Don't forget to check out 2nd Shift and Alpha Brewing's stuff while you're there!
http://www.wineandcheeseplace.com/cart.php?target=category&category_id=13

Hope everyone's having a great weekend, time for me to get myself out the door. Cheers