New Beer Sunday (week 503)

Thus far it's only been draft. When bottled one from here has your name on it!

 

From Canton Massachusetts. Blue Hills Black Hops. 6.75% ABV. Blue Hills beers just arrived in New Hampshire in recent weeks although I had had one of their beers some years ago after buying it in Massachusetts. Reddish-amber pour rather than black. Not a big hop aroma but there is a solid bitterness that lingers in the flavor. Nicely balanced. Blue Hills Brewery seems to get some lower ratings but I think they have gotten their mojo together and their beers are improving. I saw nothing wrong with this beer but it did not fully emulate the style.



I went and saw French pop sensation Yelle in concert in Boston the other night. They have little to do with beer but I really like their electro-pop style. And it was a fantastic concert in Massachusetts where Blue Hillls comes from. Julie Budet was full of enthusiasm in her performance. The drummers really got into the act with their postures between the beats. All of their songs are in French which is part of their charm. I understand some French but the catchy beats and melodies make their secondary. Here is their current French hit Completement Fou:

 

Curious how they came up with the name for this little gem:



Pours very dark brown (almost black) with a big foamy head that recedes fairly quickly.

Smell is roast and cocoa, with a hint of coffee and chocolate.

Taste pretty much follows the smell; not much bitterness to speak of. Overall, very easy drinking stout.

Mouthfeel is medium; very creamy and pleasant.

I really enjoyed this one: a tasty, easy-drinking oatmeal stout with low IBU and excellent flavor.
Wish I could get this one at home. Don't be put off by the name; if you enjoy stouts, I wholeheartedly recommend giving this one a try.

 

This Week's New Beer Sunday- Lucifer Belgian Ale

Brouwerij Het Anker
Michelen, Belgium
Style- Belgian Strong Pale Ale
1 pint 9.4 oz
8% abv
Purchased at Whole Foods, Sandy Springs, GA

Good afternoon BAs.

I poured this beer in my trusty snifter glass and the first thing that came to my mind when describing the head was a Duvel like snowy head that just wont quit. Tremendous amount of lacing on the glass from start to finish. Cloudy golden color gives way to aromas of white grape, tropical fruits and spices. Slight bitter after taste of pineapple. Conclusion: I wont be buying this again and stick with Duvel.

 

Greetings and good morning (at least it still is here) fellow NBSers,

I missed out last Sunday as I was visiting the parentals and their best friends from Norway (a high school exchange student who stayed with my dad 50 years ago - now that they're mostly retired, my parents and he and his wife exchange visits every couple of years). It was more like a new wine weekend, as we hit a few tasty wineries on Red Mountain, in addition to a Friday night barbecue that featured tri-tip roasts and a roast potato/bacon/cheese concoction that is best described as edible crack. On Monday I did manage to get a new beer when I stopped on my way out of town at Ice Harbor on my way back to Spokane. They had a Fresh Hop Double Red Ale - unfortunately I chose to accompany it with chips & salsa that had more heat than flavor, so the taste buds wound up a bit singed.


To atone for missing last week and carrying out a dalliance with wine, here's a retroactive contribution. Yesterday, to metaphysically urge on my EWU Eagles I reviewed an eastern Washington beer I hadn't reviewed before - Orlison's IPL:
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/20173/123556/?ba=woemad

I've got about 3 or 4 options today: an IPA from Brooklyn that's been described to me by ShroudOfDoom as a borderline barleywine; an English gimmick beer; a Black IPA (Cascadian Dark Ale just sounds too fru fru to me) from the west side of the state; and a RIS from the east coast. I'll be back

 

Drink be second home brew, it is an Evil Twin Bikini Beer clone and I feel I did a good job with it, tastes Bikini Beer.
Overall: 4.05
A- A slightly hazy golden yellow with a two finger white head. 4

S- Citrus, pine, some pineapple/tropical fruits, hints of pale malts. 4.25

T- Pine, citrus, some resin, very little malt backbone, big bitter finish. 4

M- Smooth, crisp, light body, carbonation is slight high. 4

O- Taste like I remember Bikini Beer tasting. Very happy with how this came out, can’t wait to brew my next beer. 4

 

enjoy your weekend BA

 

Been a while since I posted here for NBS but I wanted to share this one. Not going to compare it to regular hop devil as I haven't had it in a while. I have been saving this one for a special occasion and just this past week we unfortunately had to bury our grandfather, who was, himself, a wild devil. Here's to you pap.

A wonderfully complex yet subtle nose featuring some apricot, a slight mustiness almost which comes from the brett I am guessing.
Very subdued hop flavor (imo), subtle but wonderful in the aspect of the layers of flavors that seem to build with each sip.
The hops are there but the brett seems to transform them in much more subtle ways, not getting in your face tropical, citrus, pine but subtle hints along the way.
Just another good beer from Victory.

 

Time to get back in the NBS fun!

Scored this on a recent road trip. Heard great things about this brewery, so I had to try and seek some out. Finding anything from TG is like finding a needle in a haystack. Was very grateful to get a handful of bottles after many stops. Here is one from my travels.....

Admittedly I don't drink many craft lagers, with the exception of the hoppy variety. May be in part to wasting my liver and brain cells in my youth drinking too much BMC. Figured what the hey, I like trying new beers from new breweries!

Pours a crystal clear straw color with soapy white head that quickly dissipates. Tiny carbonation bubbles float to the top giving way to a clean and inviting appearance.

Aroma is bready-malt, maybe a faint hop, with a touch of that skunk I get with many lagers.

Taste is malt forward with a spice like bite. Perhaps from the hops? A fizzy mouthfeel that finishes on the dry side.

Overall a very drinkable beer. Probably a throwback to the way lagers were brewed back in the day. Nothing over the top, but more to style. A nice change of pace beer, and one that helps people enter the craft world. All said and done, I'll give it a 3.75.

Enjoy your new beers today gang!

 

What did ya think of that beer? Just tell us a few notes, you don't have to do a full review. On NBS the cost of a ticket is telling us about the beer, and what you've got going on. Welcome aboard, and Cheers!

 

That looks like it might be right up my alley (okay, when it comes to beer it's more like my boulevard). Can you tell us about it? Was it good or disappointing? That's what NBS is all about!
<edit. Sorry, looks like Beertunes beat me to it!>

 

I saw that yesterday while buying beer and was intrigued, but was a little put off by the high price ( I forgot what it was, but it was more than the three beers I came away with combined). Hopefully it will still be around next time I have a bit of Geld on me.

 

Where's our Bulldog football update?

 

Busy next few days for me here. I've got essays to write for grad school that I've been putting off but I absolutely have to finish today. I always hate writing essays because it takes me hours to write a few sentences because I'm so critical of myself. Tomorrow will be fun because I get to gently budge my references to turn in their letters of recommendation.

It's been three years since I graduated and so far I've been working jobs that don't provide a liveable wage. I've got an interview on Tuesday for a job in the oil and gas industry and the job description they sent me is a perfect fit. Finally being given a chance and I think that's why I feel extra nervous for this one.

It's finally cool in Texas even though it's suppose to be hot again this week. I'm so sick of 80° days in October so today while it's 60-70 we have the windows open and are enjoying it as much as we can.

Today, I opened a Jolly Pumpkin Bam Bierre. Farmhouses are my personal favorite style so I was really looking forward to this one. It was also my first Jolly Pumpkin. This beer is golden orange and has a giant white head that won't quit. Leaves tons of lacing all the way down. Spicy, grassy, yeasty funk and grains I expect from the style. Taste is similar. A tad of tartness. Lots of peppery spice. Barnyard grassy funk. Some bitter hops at the end. Lots of prickly carbonation accentuate the spicy character. Complex yet crisp, refreshing and drinkable. Great example of the style and one I'll be drinking again.

 

An oatmeal cream stout? Interesting, don't think I've heard of that before. Name-wise, it sounds like a great beer to follow a pint of Moose Drool!

 

Hello NBSers! I almost feel bad about all the new beers I tried Friday and Saurday....but not really. sadly they were much better than these. Today, we've got a nice entry for the official breast cancer awareness beer, a pink IPA. This is one gorgeous looking beer! If only it tasted better. It isn't bad, but it doesn't impress me either. There is a lingering bitterness, and some floral qualities, but not much mid palate hop flavor. And it's plenty fresh, so no fade. The head is pure whie and fine. Really this does mimic a sparkling rose wine in some respects, and I question the hop choices here. Something more grapefruity you would work much better.



In the, "is it really new?" category, Old Chub Nitro. I think it counts. Not as good as Old Chub, but the nitro turns it into the kind of bland cask offering you might actually find in Scotish pubs (at least a decade ago when I was last there).

 

This was left corked in the fridge from last night. That barrel-aged Moa made me forget. It held up nicely and is a fine East Coast IPA that shows rich malt AND hops character. This is a 20th anniversary offering and is delicious, even today! I remember Oscar Wong peddling kegs on Walker Ave back in the 90s. Good on him!
I love this old Frisco sound.

 

Ommegane Valar Morghulis a Dubbel and a good one. This beer is from Ommegane's Game of Thrones series. It could be their Dubbel relabeled. In any case this beer tastes like Chimay Red but has more carbonation and less body. Good stuff