New Beer Sunday (week 499)

Happy NBS! My 10 days of vacation are finally coming to an end today, but that is okay. I had a great time with my parents visiting and drinking some great beer. Fall arrived very early this year as highs didn't even reach 50 at the end of the week. Looks like the coming week will see a bit of a warm up just in time for me to go back to work, lol.

Enjoying a beer from IA today. Light Speed is made with Millennium and Falconers Flight hops. It is a lighter body and lacks much of a malt presence, some caramel sweetness. Flavors of weak citrus include grapefruit, orange, and a bit of lemon. Rather grassy and floral, would be better on a hot day. A bit of bitterness on the finish to keep you interested. Have a spectacular day!

 

"Suede"

"Bottled on 09/10/13"
9.6% Alc./Vol.


believe it or not, my first time with this one. picked up at a local shop just over a week ago ($8.99). i passed over this one completely, in part because at the time it didn't fit my buying strategy, (i was still stocking up on 2013 IRS & EIRS + w00t was still floating), my Stone funds & concentration were elsewhere. these didn't sit around my usual spot as long as i had anticipated either but i have to say the comments & reflections that rang in after release were pretty mixed, which further contributed to my lack of urgency to attack.

all the pretext out of the way, the beer uncapped has very distinct, out of the way aromas. one can really smell & damn near taste some of the added ingredients just by nosing over the bottle. poured in the snifter, the aroma continues to blossom from a big fluffy head. i imagine if poured in my yard i'd probably be visited by curious bees & the hummingbird family living in the bushes back there. could just be under the influence of the bottle art, but smelling this for whatever reason (again likely the artwork) but the color purple seems to match up perfectly with the scents emanating from the foamy head thus far.

taste. hmmm. o.k. for me, the floweriness that rides over the base is an interesting twist, it's non-offensive and adds a different dimension i can dig. as i'm sipping, it borders on perfume which again, non-offensive but at this point i find is just about at my limit of tolerance. not meaning to sound macho nor chauvinistic, but these elements have me thinking primarily "ladies beer". either that or blokes dressed in pastel colors, cept it's nowhere near Easter at the moment & no golf tournament to attend. that aside, i could get along with the butterflies, ladybugs & the rosy landscape, the base is pretty solid but i find one off note that i personally don't care for, and believe i've tasted the same note in another Stone iteration. it's a slight charred note that is a bit of a scorched-bitter taste. i had previously associated the particular flavor to likely be remnants of strong barrel char as the other iteration i detected it in had some barrel aging - Suede does not seem to have touched barrels, so the element i'm experiencing must come from elsewhere. extra heavy roast?

my conclusion, i only finished the first pour & have put an expanding lid on it for now, will revisit it hopefully later this afternoon. i'll probably buy another but doubt i'll run back & grab multiples. definitely would consider this something i'd have to be in the correct mood to really enjoy.

 

Good Day CD and to the rest of the NBS peeps. A new American IPA, west coast style, thanks to the uber generous Beertunes:

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/28281/79618/?ba=Bitterbill



And an unusual style Hefeweizen from the same bloke:

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/701/135174/?ba=Bitterbill



Cheers to more beers!

 

Tasty

 

Mikkeller Keeper Pilsner


3.75/5 rDev -1.6%

Poured from a can into a pilsner glass.
A - delicately capped with light colored foam, clarity is wonderful. A gentle transfixing dance of carbonation.
S - Some biscuit, very light hop nose, a hint of grassiness, and cut floral. Some little hidden gem in here that I must say
invites another breath in.
T - The pilsner style shines here, again just enough floor malt, biscuit and hops, with a super clean finish.
M - The body is consistent across the experience, Carbonated well with no particular element out of order.
O - A fine offering from Mikkeller, I see this was brewed in PA. The beer is a nice refreshing version of a favorite style.
Cheers

 

New High Test Russian Imperial Stout Sunday

@Roguer blew up my Wulver by chucking a beer grenade into my foxhole this week. It not only included this, but Jack's Abby's Mass Rising which is outstanding.

Aroma is spectacular. Sweetness like a syrup or molasses, chocolate, roasted malt, almost oatmeal like, and a wonderful alcohol that is sort of port, sherry, or brandy in nature. You would almost swear it is barrel aged. Taste is impressive too. Not as much as the nose, but the bar was high. Deep dark chocolate or cocoa with some bitterness, deep roasted/slightly burnt malt grains. Defiantly a noticeable alcohol burn (the good kind), also sweetness, slight bit of coffee, and the only part I don't care for - some black licorice I believe (which looking back, is noticeable in aroma). I would call this medium bodied for a RIS.
Overall, this is a beast of a beer that despite the high ABV (18-20%), is still quite balanced and drinkable. Thrilled to have the opportunity to try it. Thanks to Roger for helping me skirt the ABV law yet again.4.5 http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/64/2392/?ba=WesMantooth

More pics available on WBAYDN. I have already had this beer, 2 no-bake cookies, and 4 strips of maple bacon so far today. Looking like a Treadmill Tuesday. For now, back to Oktoberfests. I'm sure @Greywulfken has seen some of these, but this was my favorite

Checking out for awhile. Time to rough up Matty Ice and the Falcons (hopefully) in our home opener. Cheers!

 

This Week's New Beer Sunday- Fuller's 1845


Chiswick Lane South, London, England
Style- English Strong Ale
1 pint 0.9 oz.
6.3% abv
$5.99 at Total Wine Kennesaw, GA



Well it was a tough loss in Columbia, SC as Georgia loses 38-35 and as they say in the SEC one loss and it's over. Georgia had their chance to tie it up with a missed 28 yd chip shot FG. Who misses at that distance? Georgia-South Carolina is always a tough game and rivalry. Next week against Troy and then to get ready for the Volunteers which promises a hard game.

I poured this beer in my stange glass which produced a brownish/ruby red color with a nice off white head which quickly disappeared to a thin skin on the beer surface. Foam was just visible on the sides of the glass. The remnants of the foam remain on the glass from start to finish which I feel is very pleasant. The aroma is big on malt and dark fruit, raisins, plums. The taste is one of malt, sweet caramel at the start but finishes bitter and biting. I have also tried the Fuller's London Pride, Porter, ESB and Black Cab but this one is my favorite followed by the Porter. A must try. Cheers

 

Nice tunes!
I'm a big PT/Steven Wilson fan myself.

 

Couldn't agree more. Good beer, but I hoped for more. Maybe my expectations were too high

 

Salutations Tripel-Tipplers and Stout-Swillers,
A beautiful autumn day here in the deep south. I'm glad we all got through another week.
I actually had my first NBS beverage late last night but I am going to count it!
A wonderful offering from @honkey at my home town's own Bluepants Brewery and it is a thing of beauty.

According to those who have had this year's batch and last this Black Ale is greatly improved. Alas I did not get to try last years but I love this one. It is a harmonious marriage of a traditional stout and a hoppy pale ale. Served at 45 degrees F it was perhaps a smidge light in the aroma department but I found nothing lacking in the pitch black opacity, well balanced nuanced flavor and most notably a silky mouthfeel that is spot on. Now if you are after something that smacks you in the face with a big sack of hops it might not be a good choice for you but I enjoyed it and will drink again.

 

Harvest time?:

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/178/25063/?ba=Bitterbill

 

Peace be with you, this NBS. Enjoying the crisp weather (but not The Crisp). All windows open on this 61 degree day in September. On today's docket? Double DBA by Firestone Walker.

Poured hard into my Lucifer snifter.

Sight: Lovely hazy, burnished orange with a stark white head. This recedes into a light film on top, delicate speckles of lace.

Smell: Oh God, the malt! Sweet bready, malty, raisin goodness. Just the slightest hint of hop.

Taste: More Heaven in a glass. Sipped while chilled, it offers a great caramel note, playing in concert with a sugary malt and like its aroma, dark fig/raisin characteristic of balanced English style Barleywines. Booze is well hidden for 12%- to me, a great hallmark of well-crafted barleywine. As it warms, the hops are a bit more apparent, but the other flavors still take control. I MAY consider this a "malt bomb."

Mouthfeel: Delicate carbonation, slick oily feel on the tongue. Very pleasing. Smooth, almost to a fault.

Overall: Fantastic offering by FW. And a new "nomenclature" for me: Imperial Special Bitter. Call it what you want, I'll call it malty magnificence.

And now, for another English thing turned on its head by an American institution:

 

Xocoveza Mocha Stout

Between pours (first pour on WBAYDN), watching Fox pre-game...


Back to the Xoco... NFL on-hold...

Absolutely delicious drinking (and I just had an Aun Mas Café Jesus last night )...

The label tells no lies - everything you need to know right there, plus "awesome"...


Arch Enemy "Starbreaker" [Judas Priest cover]

Hope yer beers and teams are good to ya today Cheers!

\m/\m/

 

Nice beer ****.

 

Hello NBS crew. I've got a new beer today, one I thought I would try because I've had a couple of well regarded German Dopplebocks recently. Troegs Trogenator Double Bock.

Pours a nice copper amber with almost no head. Smell leads with raisins and a little alcohol. Doesn't have the complexity of Ayinger's Celebrator, but it is a nice aroma. Taste is pretty consistent, with raisins, alcohol heat on the finish and a little bit of English toffee. Not as complex as Celebrator, missing the bread pudding and fig flavors. Lacking in the caramel malt flavors found in the Salvator. Still, this is a sold beer and example of the style. Carbonation is light, finish is fairly dry, which is nice. Alcohol could be a little more hidden.

 

This is for when the occasion isn't special enough to warrant Aventinus' Weizenbock. Great stuff.