New Beer Sunday (week 518)

It's because I took it when I was 23.

Yes, I'm 24. I know, I look 15. It's a miracle I've yet to be turned down at a bar. Not the first person to ask, so I'm used to it.

 

That's pretty much my take on that one, too- it's second-tier due to the sweetness. Too bad, too- the price is usually pretty damn nice.

 

I was really shocked too... so many times I get one of those before greatness hit the palate beers and I just think.. oh man..

OH MAN..

this is it... this is gonna be so good... and then it's..

oh what the hell?? what happened?!

ugh makes it even more disappointing.

even for a 34.5 score

 

New Scotch Ale Sunday​

Greetings NBS faithful! My apologies for a prolonged absence. With the holidays I've been enjoying classics and sadly time has escaped me and I have not contributed to this time tested tradition. I am amending that today.

Weather in Central OH started mule gray, turned to rain, and is currently a winter wonderland. I can imagine the commute tomorrow AM will be quite treacherous but in the interim, I will enjoy the tasty offering that abides in my thistle glass. Review posted below. I hope you all have a wonderful NBS.

Peace, love, and malty-ness,

Matt

Served in a thistle glass.

Aroma: pleasant caramel and deep toasty malt notes. Sweet bread character asserts as the beer warms. Clean fermentation character. No hop aroma or alcohol notes. All as it should be.

Appearance: Deep brick red pour. Clarity looks good but hard to tell due to the dense color. Head is thick and batter-like with beautiful tan dense foam stand. Head persists throughout.

Flavor: More caramel and sweet bread notes. There is a background earthy bitterness that helps offset the maltiness. Balance is toward the pleasant malt character. Finish is clean and dry. Aftertaste lingers with a touch of caramel sweetness.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with medium low carbonation. Slightly creamy due to the nitro. No alcohol heat or astringency.

Overall impression: A pleasant and unique slant on this classic beer. I think the nitro mutes the wonderful character of the normal version of this beer but hard to tell without a side-by-side. Still, this is well done and immensely enjoyable.


http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/2681/118299/?ba=mattcrill

 

Wow, so that is you? Damn, you should try growing a beard! I have a baby face too, but have had a beard since I was old enough to drive, makes a significant difference. And who's the girl with you?

 

Good evening BAs! Well, I finally got into the NBS BIF box of goodies from @BigRedDog that's had me twitching since last Wens. So today I drank the first beer, making me probably the last BA ever to drink:



Zombie Dust! I'd never thought that I'd be able to drink this! How does this rate?

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/26/64228/?ba=Ozzylizard

Pretty damn good!

 

You rated this generously. I've had this and it's a good beer, yet I wouldn't trade for it.

 

Lol - not the last in this thread, even; two of us here have never had.

 

Finally getting around to my first NBS BIF post, it's tough chasing a 1 year old around all day for sure!

My sender was @superspak and he did a great job of sending me selection of Michigan locals, here was my haul if you missed it:


I decided to start of with 4th D by Kuhnhenn Brewing:


What an interesting and well done Olde Ale. It's very malt forward but then the sweetness takes over. Starts as bourbon sweetness then ends almost like marshmallows. Bottle says 13.5% abv but that's totally hidden, if I had to guess I'd say it was 8% at most.

Overall and excellent and interesting brew, one I would have probably never had the chance to enjoy without participating in the NBS BIF, can't wait for the next one. Thanks again for the beers Ian!

 

Third new beer for today:

Dark Horse Too Cream Stout



A: Pours deep black with a few tan bubbles but no real "head" to speak of.

S: Light aroma. It's chocolaty and malty with subtle vanilla notes. Proper "stout" stuff.

T: Not too complex, but well rounded. Chocolate shines through on a smokey background. Coffee and a malt presence are there, but nothing too strong. It's just not exciting at all. It does hide it's alcohol well, though.

F: Slightly too thin, almost watery. Well carbonated, but really no body.

O: I'm enjoying it (kinda), but it's not really making an impression on me.

 

BIF No. 2 for me ... time for some hops courtesy of @TongoRad:


Quite the story following this brew from late 1800s inception to modern conception. I wish we could try that original 1878 recipe. Here's betting it was a malt-bomb by comparison, but either way, I love the fact that Pabst did a little history homework to bring back the label.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/447/134337/?ba=Premo88

rated it 4.06 (+4.4 rDev)

I would pay hard-earned money to have my house smell like this brew. Wow! It's the ultimate pine forest air freshener, for it's smoothed out by a load of sweetness. In fact, as it's warmed up, it's begun to smell less like pine and more like candied orange ... so sweet. But that first 20-30 minutes, it's all pine air freshener and an easy 5 for me.

The taste is classic American IPA ... "classic" as in post-Liberty Ale modern craft classic. It's really bitter at times and has a lingering bitterness that stays with you -- the taste is much more bitter than the nose and that bitter is piney of course. The alcohol is completely hidden, and it's got a decent bit of citrus sweetness to help balance it a bit.

My least favorite American pale/IPA/DIPA note -- the super sweet caramel/mango note -- only peeks in for just a second then thankfully (for me) leaves. I don't know why I hate that note so much because I love caramel and enjoy mangoes, but in beer? Bleeechh! It's just not for me. Am I nuts? Probably.

Looks like the BIF thing is going well ... and kudos to @beertunes and our guiding voices who made this about local/regional favorites and not necessarily whales. Not that there's anything wrong with good ol' Moby Dick, but I'm enjoying seeing some of the local regulars mixed in here and there.

Cheers, y'all!

 

I'm trying a Boulevard Harvest Dance Wheatwine. It rings in at 9.5% ABV and features Hallertau and Citra hops and is aged on both American and French oak. Cheers!

 

I like new stuff. This Neomexicanus is an interesting hop, but I'm not going crazy over it. Still quite drinkable though.

 

Today's new beer is a local treat - Blue Pant's Double Stuff Pinstripe Stout.

Every year, Blue Pants holds a festival with many different variants of their flagship Pinstripe Stout. I wasn't able to attend this year's festival but fortunately they choose to bottle one from this year, so here we go.

As the name suggests, it tastes and smells a lot like Double Stuff cookies. Tons of chocolate and vanilla aromas with a hint of coffee. Flavors remind me of rich chocolate brownies or enjoying s'mores by the campfire. A perfect after dinner desert stout.





http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/23966/155621/?ba=richj1970

 

One of the beers I sent to my target was Buzzards Bay " Moby D".....

Does that count as a "whale"???

 

I'm back for one more tonight. For some odd reason I have never had this BW from Bells. I have to go through and read all the posts now.

Wonderful aromas of sweet malts and dark sugars. Dates, raisins, brown sugar, caramel, toffee meld perfectly with mild hops.

It packs a good punch of sweet malty sugary sweetness, but the hops come in to give it a slight bitterness. Plenty of brown sugar, caramel and dark fruits. The hops are lightly citrus and bitter, just enough to keep this from being a sugar bomb. ABV is hidden.

The flavor in this is remarkable and one of the best BWs I have had when fresh. Feels like it has 1-2 years already on it. Not nearly as hoppy compared to other American BWs. Highly recommend.



Cheers and I look forward to next week!

 

I don't think so: 4.48 rDev -2.8. Maybe a little high on aroma cuz I love grapefruit but other than that it's pretty much the definition of an APA. Would I trade for it? Dunno.

 

First up, Oatis by Ninkasi. Have to say this one surprised me; didn't really know what to expect, and it was very good. Great smell, great taste, great mouthfeel, nice finish. May even like this one better than Velvet Merlin.



Then on to SARA, where I tried two different beers: I See A Darkness (L) and Zuur Cafe #3 (R). I See A Darkness was very nice; great mix of excellent porter and Verve coffee, one of my favorites. I would definitely have this again. Zuur Cafe #3, I have to admit, was not really to my liking. Though well made, the mix of sour and coffee had a bit of vinegar-like taste at the beginning that kind of turned me off. The finish was good, but the beer was just not to my taste. Glad I tried it, but I'll order something different next time. YMMV.

 

Pipeworks - Walrus and the Carpenter

Do not know and cannot conceive how this unlikely couple relates to each other but it is a very good beer.

Very dark brown with a healthy mocha colored head. Burned sugars dominate the nose. Prunes and raisins hide the alcohol for a moment. The feel is superb. Silkiness yielding to the warming of the alcohol is all the coziness of wrapping oneself a blanket with none of the static electricity. If the brewers' theory of using the whole oyster is true, their command of ingredients is noteworthy - this time. A real pleasure.

 

The last of the night for me is another one from @rgordon - thanks again, man, these have been really enjoyable! It's also good to hear that your wife is recuperating nicely- best wishes.

Here is NoDa Coco Loco-


This is a toasted coconut porter with cocoa nibs.

As you'd expect, the nose is dominated by dark chocolate, but the toasted coconut is definitely there, even if it comes on late. Pretty clean otherwise, maybe a touch of caramel and vanilla, but they let the main attractions be the stars of the show. The palate follows through with dark chocolate coming out in front, and the toasted coconut on the finish, but here's the pleasant surprise- it's a pretty damn dry and bitter beer, all the while maintaining just enough maltiness and body to keep it honest. It is not the syrupy dessert beer you'd expect, nor is it the washed out experience that normally happens when brewers go the other way; nope, in terms of composition, they managed to successfully navigate the tightrope.

I'm midway through the glass now, and while at first I thought that the bitterness was just a touch too high, it's starting to settle in as my palate gets used to it. The flavors are still clean and pure, and there is no tendency towards becoming overbearing at all. Although it's a pretty straightforward beer, I can appreciate the effort put into pulling it off. A- (4.1)