New Beer Sunday (week 488)

After spending the weekend getting caught up around the house and dodging the rain, it seemed like a good time to fire up the grill and try a new beer.

Today's selection was one I brought back from my recent trip to St. Louis and Kansas City - Crooked Stave's Vieille Artisinal Saison. Supposedly aged in oak barrels although I didn't pick up much on the barrel. In the end, this is a really nice sessionable saison, but don't think it is special enough to command the price I paid for it.

I have a bottle of Surette for another day. Holding out hope for that one.









http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/25191/92153/?ba=richj1970

 

Happy Sunday all you NBSers out there! I hope it's been an enjoyable relaxing day of rest for y'all as I see there has been quite a bit of action on tap. I just finished up a nice fresh can of Terrapin Hi 5 IPA. Different from the standard fan favorite Hopsecutioner, but I perhaps like it better overall. A bit lighter, but not in the ever-growing "session IPA" category, this one has great citrus hop character and is a bit too easy to put down. Full review here:

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/2372/118971/?ba=Mikecap

Highly recommend it! Happy Sunday everyone!

 

The advantage to trying a 4% beer for my first NBS post is that there is time for another...

Next up is Morning Wood from Local Option. Billed as an oak aged coffee amber, and it delivers in spades. Lots of nice roasted coffee flavors and sweet malts. Reminds me quite a bit of a cup of quality coffee with cream and sugar.

Dangerously drinkable. I could crush these for sure.









http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16773/76109/?ba=richj1970

 

Greetings All and Happy NBS.

First of my Fridays off (mostly) through Labor Day, and damned if last Friday wasn't a fit day for golf. So I brewed a couple batches of home brew instead. A Bavarian Style Hefe and a Brown Ale which both ought to be coming into their own right around Labor Day as well.

Today it's Pine Mountain Pilsner from Deschutes.
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/9095/115078/?ba=RJLarse

I'm not a huge fan of the style, because it's a lot like macro-lager, but this is way better than that. I'd have it again.

It seems like a weekend of work. Brewing, replacing rain gutters, cleaning and staining decks. I need to go back to office and get some rest. Maybe golf this Thursday?

Until next week

Happy Trails!

 

The busy weekend is coming to a close; I got a lot accomplished, and now I'm about to relax with the Sunday crossword. Alongside it is a little something made in Riverhead, Long Island- Long Ireland's Celtic Ale-


I guess I could make a crack about how it's about as complex and surprising as a puzzle out of TV Guide, but that would just be a gratuitous cheap shot . And, to tell the truth, for it's style, it's a very good representation. The aroma is full of caramel, toffee and a hint of dried flowers. The palate is malty at first, then toasty in the middle, with a lingering toffee-like finish. Bitterness is just where it needs to be, as it the moderately full and smooth mouthfeel.

Just a good drinking beer here, nothing more, nothing less.

Have a great Sunday evening, everybody- Cheers!

 

Next up is Morning Wood from Local Option. Billed as an oak aged coffee amber, and it delivers in spades. Lots of nice roasted coffee flavors and sweet malts. Reminds me quite a bit of a cup of quality coffee with cream and sugar.



There is another beer with the same name from MN. Wonder if that will become an issue in time?
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/27074/78069/

 

STONE BASTARD IN THE RYE
First time trying a beer aged in rye whiskey barrels. Reminds of Anderson Valley's amber ale aged in barrels. Very sweet aroma, more rum like on the aroma, the rye flavor is prevalent, very smooth. Easy drinking for 10%.

 

I suppose it will depend if either one of the breweries become large enough and lawyer up.

 

Tonight's beer is Central Waters Bourbon Barrel Cherry Stout! An extra in an IP trade thanks to the very generous @Getalegup.



Appearance: Has a nice near black hue, with some reddish brown. Poured straight down the middle with a one finger head. Most has dissipated by the time I took the picture.

Smell: Bourbon notes with tart cherries. Pretty jammy. A bit of alcohol comes through, but not too much. It reminds me a lot of Prairie Wine Noir with a bit of bourbon. Very clean smelling. Picking up a slight earthy, woody aroma now.

Taste: A bit of sweet bourbon with a ton of jammy, tart cherries on the near finish. Not sour by any means, just that nice essence of tartness. Imagine biting into a semi ripened cherry that was dipped in a bit of chocolate and bourbon. Getting a slight earthy, oak taste on the finish right after the cherries. Not much bitterness here, the bourbon and cherries dominate most of the taste. Edit: As it warms, only a slight bit of alcohol.

Mouthfeel: Medium mouthfeel. It's not too heavy at all. Just a slight bit of tannin on the end. Carbonation is medium. I'd like a slight bit less, but this is fine. I think this is definitely one of the easier drinking BA stouts I've had.

Overall: 4.25. For me, if it had a thicker mouthfeel, just a bit less carbonation, and maybe some nice roasted coffee flavors to balance out the sweet and tart aspects, this would be at least a 4.75.

This is pretty nice. Not mind blowing, but a nice BA cherry stout offering. I'd like to try their BA stout without cherries now to compare.

Cheers!

 

Let that Monkee out of its cage!

 

Quiet evening to you; quaffers of quads and tipplers of tripels, downers of dubbels, and sippers of singles. As a longtime reader but recent poster to the community within a community, I felt it appropriate to put up a review, not simply tell you what I'm having on NBS. Sit back and enjoy the review.


A review of Stone's Quadrotriticale
4.01/5 rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4


Poured from their (Stone) really cool blue neuron-looking bomber into a tulip:

A reddish-orange hue when held up to the light, brown undertones. Reminds me a little of a sunburst/two-tone finish on an electric guitar. Pours a beige 1/2 inch head that quickly recedes. Leaves sporadic lace in blotches. Smells very bready with a little bit of booze. Taste is a marriage of spices, raisiny sweetness, good malt, and a bit of bread. Mouthfeel is medium -thick, ably coating in addition to a bit of bubble. Finishes with a bit of piquant rye and sweet booze. Raisin more apparent when the beer heats up.

Overall, a nice deviation from the traditional quad. It's all over the place... and I like that. Three Philosophers this is not... and I like that one, too.

Serving type: bottle

 

New Ameican IPA Sunday

Good evening NBS,

A later check in for me as we were traveling for a graduation party in PA this weekend west of Philadelphia. Again, a gorgeous weather weekend in CT and PA. Windows down!

After some chores and exercise upon our return I'm finally sitting down to enjoy this malt forward IPA from a PA brewery I picked up at Whole Foods this morning:

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/18724/64897/?ba=CHADMC3

If malt forward IPAs are your thing- find it!

This was a great New Beer Sunday- I'm blown away by the quality of brews sampled. Happy shortened (hopefully) work week to all.

 

Back for Round 2 today as I watch Yankees-Red Sox on ESPN (go Yanks!). Anyway, I picked up this collaboration Black IPA between Baxter Brewing in Maine and DC Brau. Daughters of Poseidon is labeled as a black IPA brewed with oysters. Intriguing as I've had beers brewed with oysters (oyster stouts) but never seen it in a black IPA. Overall, its a hoppy porter more so than IPA with a roasty nose but definite hop character in the taste. Overall, it's solid and worth a try.



http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/23922/119427/?ba=Mikecap

Cheers and have a great (hopefully short) holiday week!

 

New American IPA

It's another beautiful Sunday in West MI. Skies were blue all day, temps were well into the 80's with a nice breeze. That made for a great day at the ballpark watching some Single-A ball with the family and a couple of the kiddos' friends this afternoon. Cooled off in the A/C with some World Cup action and a quick dip in the pool before "diving" into this fine brew (pun intended for both the pool and some of the drama on the pitch)...

This beer was acquired through a Fantasy Premier League BIF with @zeledonia. I highly recommend trading with this guy. He went above and beyond with the box shipped my way.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/26565/72785/?ba=GRPunk

 

New FFF Sunday
This is a bit later than I usually post on a NBS but I just got back from visiting my in-laws in NY (which gave me the chance to find a few brews not distributed to the Buckeye state)
This bottle, however, came from a close friend who happened to be driving near Chicago and enjoys a stop a bit off the freeway for a good bottle of beer

Less than a month old, amazing nose and overall the beer fits the style well, it just lacks much if any hops which is a FFF trademark. This is a good beer, I just think adding more hops would make it even better. My full review is on the beer's page.

 

Howdy!

Ima start off by saying that NBS is definately a highlight in my Sunday - glad to see everyone's mini reviews and music - it's a great soundtrack at the end of the day.

NEW SAN DIEGO BEER SUNDAY!

Mike Hess Grazias- cream Ale



3.96/5 rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This beer looks awesome! I was expecting a lighter color for a cream ale but the darker caramel looking color is foreshadowing a hoppy take on this style - extra dark orange like a hoffner bass. Creamy froth up on top of this brew. Really sexy looking head that hangs out for a while.


Malts dominate the aromas with lighter German hops in the back. No booziness in the smell. Kinda smells like Boston lager -


Dive in ! ^^^^^^


Taste is similar to smell straight up malt forward brew with German hops- I would say this is a hoppy take on this style - not bitter but the hops do stand out for a cream ale.

Mouthfeel is rather thin for a 6.3 abv. Creaminess was not turned up to 11 bro. Slippery and goes down real easy

Overall I still need more cream ales on my resume. This one is the best one I've had yet. The 4 pack o' pint format is awesome and I will definately be purchasing this again

 

Greeting Fellow NBS'ers,
Thanks @cavedave for the Great intro into another NBS. Been reading and enjoying the thread thus far and had to throw this out there because of the music from @utopiajane and @garymuchow and will get back with a beer in a bit.
Cheers