New Beer Sunday (week 508)

'zup, Advocates! Green Flash Road Warrior double IPA. Best by is blank. Pours a very dark amberish brown, with a head that fades only slightly and leaves lots of lacing. Smells like fruit. Figs, grapefruit, apricots and lemon rinds. Tastes a lot like that combo too. Bought this at closeout on the cheap. Don't know if Green Flash is discontinuing it or not, but its one of the best deals on beer I've made in a long time. 9% abv can sneak up on ya if you ain't careful. It might or might not be old, but it's a fine beer anyways.

 

Gotta love having Wee Heavy's around when the temps drop...

Clown Shoes - Ride The Lion Wee Heavy Ale


Clown Shoes - Ride The Lion Wee Heavy Ale by imbibehour, on Flickr

Review here or read below: http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/22951/122765/?ba=smakawhat

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Poured from the bottle into a wee heavy glass

Rusty brown body color, slightly muddy looking, with a real nice creamy tan four finger head. Nice creamed retention and whipped up as it falls nicely with some coating ring lacing that doesn't stick for much. Settles to a thin puck.

Solid aroma. Mild amounts of caramel and a warm oaky toasted quality. Mild hints of boozy quality but not overpowering. Very subtle toffee notes. Real nice.

Palate is pretty solid. Nice creamy mouthfeel coating all in the palate. Slight nutty and phenolic clove/medicianl action flavors in the aftertaste interestingly. Good mid palate of caramel which really hits nicely with the creamy feel. Warmth brings a bit of thin body and flavors getting toned down after some time. Some mild toned fruit as well.

The mouthfeel really seems to be something that really helps and gives the beer some better life as the brew seems to weaken shortly after opening. A solid though barrel aged wee heavy though.

look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Final score: 4.28

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This week, I picked up 3 'new-to-me' Bell's offerings...Cherry Stout, Double Cream Stout, and Expedition Stout. The Cherry was 'ok', but today, I'm having the Double Cream and it's much better. Nice big head that fades rather quickly and leaves a little lacing. The mouthfeel on this nice and definitely thicker than the Cherry. I popped this open at room temperature and really enjoyed it. Maybe later I'll have to break into that Expedition...Cheers!!

 

It's Sunday, I'm drinking a new beer, and I'm on ba.com. That must mean NBS! Looks like I'm over 600 beers, crazy.

I had a tasting on Friday night which knocked me out yesterday. Finally got to try Backyard BCBS. Wasn't sure if I would be up to the task of a beer today, yet here I am! Heyoka IPA from Half Acre.

Starts off with nice floral and tropical, citrus hop notes. I get unsweetened orange, tangerine, mango, and passion fruit. There is bitterness, but more of a grapefruit bitterness. Some caramel and honey sweetness round it off.

The flavors are bursting orange and tangerine, with mangoes, passion fruit and other tropical flavors. Malts of caramel and honey are in the middle to balance this out. Finish is more of the citrus bitter. I think this is a delicious IPA and it reminds me of Surly Overrated. I hope that Half Acre decides to invade WI some day.

 

Just cracked this today and man am I glad I did.


http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/651/101972/?ba=Chickenhawk9932

 

Hope everyone is enjoying their New Beer Sunday! Starting my day with a Jalapeño Saison that I brew that is finally ready to drink.
Overall 3.96

12 oz bottle poured into a tulip

A- A hazy bright golden color with a small white head. 3.75

S- Jalapeños, earthy, slightly sweet, pale malts. 4

T- Jalapeños are upfront and give the beer are nice amount of heat without being overwhelming, slightly sweet, earthy, bready malts, hints of light fruits, good balance of flavors. 4

M- Smooth, medium body, nice prickly carbonation. 4.25

O- I like how this came out, but doesn't really fit the style. I would like to try to brew something like this without a kit and use more a traditional saison yeast. It is easy to drink and I can't wait to drink the rest of this batch! 3.75

 

Is that your first uploaded pic? lol

 

Speedway stout for the first time this afternoon! 1 year aged, bought the bottle fresh and aged properly.

This is like a decadent chocolate cake, gourmet style. Blown away by the integrity of this brew. Delictable, just so good, excellent balance of sweetness and bitterness. Just sooooooo good.

 

Another new beer today, the last of the beers my son sent me. Martin House Brewing Co's Pretzel Stout, 'made in Texas by Texans'. Beautiful thick head on the pour, with gradient coloring as it climbed. Coffee aroma rises off the top of the glass. The first sip leaves me with a creamy mustache, and well roasted coffee, chocolate and salty pretzel flavors. The burnt, salty bitterness lingers on the aftertaste. Definitely a bit different then other stouts, and a deeelicious drink to have while eating pretzels and watching football.

 

No slouch as a songwriter, either. "Beeswing" is one of my all time faves, and it never fails to give me a lump in my throat.

 

I have to try that beer someday, I love pretzels almost as much as I love beer.

 

Back with another IPA (I noticed after visiting 99 Bottles a couple of weeks ago that I walked out almost exclusively with IPAs not available in my neck of the woods, despite self-indentifying as an “all-arounder” beer geek).

I needed a good taste in my mouth after the Seahawk game, though I can’t really complain. The Chiefs were more efficient, with only the caveat that they were in their house. The only gripe I can make is that there was a flagrant no-call when Doug Baldwin was shoved from behind in the Chief’s end-zone on 4th down. The ‘hawks weren’t embarrassing, (with the exception of Ricardo Lockette), they just didn’t get it done.

Did Crikey get it done?

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/29693/131728/?ba=woemad

I had high hopes for this beer, given all the love Seattelite BAs give Reuben’s, and I did like it, just not enough to consider it a must-have. I also freely admit I’m not a huge fan of the tropical fruit IPAs that have become so trendy. Still, it was pretty damn good. I’d call it a near-great, and am prepared for the hatred that will now be directed my way by many PNW beer drinkers.

 

"Dimming Of The Day" is a fave of mine, though I have to admit it took David Gilmour's cover to make me aware of it.

 

Quite concur. I'm not really down for trading right now, due to time and financial constraints, but I'm putting it down for a future beer to seek out.

 

Good day NBS! Cold here in DC as well as a decent part of the country (I believe), sitting in watching NFL and working way through Stone box set. Have had regular Arrogant, of course, but not BBA or Lucky. Started with the original as a comparison. Photo not the best, but...



I believe I am in the minority that I liked the barrel aged version slightly better. The original's hops profile are what made the original what it is, but I happen to prefer a little more balance, and the BBA version mellowed the hops nicely for me. That said, the oak comes through, but the whiskey is quite light. I also think the dulling of the hops made the beer feel thinner. In the end the pluses and minuses almost cancel each other, but had to give this one the extra hundredths of a point.

 

Tried my first Schlafly Tasmanian IPA (bottled 10/29).

A really interesting brew. Citrus (though I can't decide if it's grapefruit, lemon, or some other type). Really bitter (like SN Hoptimum bitter), but in a pleasing way. Absolutely beautiful appearance...slightly cloudy, straw colored.

Good head retention & mouthfeel.

That $1 coupon at Total Wine went to good use!

 

Great song! I never heard that version- I'll make sure to check it out. Thanks.

 

Who got da Munchen? I got some munchies ...

Hofbräu München Hefe Weizen - Hofbräuhaus München


Hofbräuhaus München - Hofbräu Hefe Weizen by imbibehour, on Flickr

What's up for the latest hefe, and do we dodge the skunk monster? read below to find out.

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Poured from the green 11.2 fl oz. bottle into a wheat ale glass.

Classic creamy off white colored head on the pour, nothing booming or large like a classic Hefe, but manages a half finger puck. Classic body color, not too dull or bright, opaque but a dull apricot orange and yellow, with lots of micro fine carbonation.

Classic hefe nose. A real great solid aroma that is nicely spicy and aromatic. Mild banana and nutmeg sweetness. Hints of cream a bit as well. A real nice simple and very enjoyable nose and we have luckily also avoided the skunk monster.

Real nice simple palate. Spicy hits bubblegum like aftertaste for the flavor. Mid palate washes in a mild chewy malt density with tangy notes of lemon and bubblegum controlled sweetness but not overly so. Some spiced after phenols more on the nutmeg side of sweetness and staying away from hot and classic brown spice. Nice hints of lemon and lime like finish to match. Palate comes into more lighter body with not a good chewy wheat depth but still pretty solid.

This really surprised me, for such an assuming small bottle, and it's packaging. A nice little hefe that comes off with some real surprising character.

look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Final Score: 4.26

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I had Avery Tweak for the first time. Sorry, I don't know how to post pics, but here's the review:

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30/56199/?ba=ONovoMexicano

 

Me neither, Tongo. But if the great Gilmour (one of Rock's finest pickers) does it, count me in.