New Beer Sunday (week 518)

I mean more Generous than I. This is around 3.8 field for me. It's solid yet not the end all of Pale Ales for me.

 

Super tasty rye IPA

Hopped with Bravo,Nugget,Columbus,Chinook,Centennial,Simcoe, and Citra. Along with tasty rye malt, what's not to love?

 

New Michigan-made Wild Ale

It was another great weekend in West MI. Temps hovering in the low 30s mean the roads and driveways are dry while there's still plenty of snow in the yard.

After a busy start to the weekend, we kept with the theme. We hosted a birthday party for my in-laws, I got some work done to prep for the week, and snuck in a quick, cold run, and enjoyed a new beer after dinner.

I hate giving a straight score (all 4s in this case), but this beer was pretty much "good" across the board. Full review below.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/9897/143706/?ba=GRPunk

 

One of those things look really familiar, many look oddly familiar (but my short term memory could be off). Okay, that was a bit dumb, but I promised three BIF beers from Michigan, and here's the third (that should clear up my previous statement a tad):

Pours quite dark, hiding the black insignia on my glass. Nose is a tad strange, but seems a bit smokey, which is unexpected. Waiting for it to warm a bit as I type, but even getting this damn photo to load I notice a strawberry ice cream not to what I perceived as smokey originally (though I still get that impression); my GF thought is smelled more like ice cream, so maybe I'm the fool here . The taste (of a slightly warmed beer) does hit with that strawberry taste up front, but it could be sensed as raspberry as well. A swirl around my mouth leaves a creamy feel, and I do start to get the impression of the beer's name.

I think this beer definitely needs warmth to come to its full potential. Although I get the intent, it also seems a bit like other fruit-infused stouts. That said, it's a quite enjoyable beer, maybe a tad thin on body but quite smooth; a little light on roasted nature, as expected; and not as sweet as you might think. Very interesting.

 

Why not? Did you harpoon it?

and on to NBS BIF No. 3 for me, a wild rice double IPA some of you East Coasters may know courtesy of @TongoRad:



http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/339/56716/?ba=Premo88

rated it 4.18 (+2% rDev)

The hits keep coming ... and again a perfect smelling brew only completely different from the last perfect aroma. My nose might be off, and if it is, lucky me because this sucker smells just like ONIONS!!! I f-ing love onions! And it's salty and like a steak and ... oh, man, I don't want my house to smell like this, but I'm sorta half glad I'm at home with this one because I'm full-on craft beer geek with my nose shoved into the tulip nonstop. Can't get enough!

The taste is slightly sweeter, even showing perhaps a hint of bread malt in there. Tangerine, sweet orange, sweet citrus ... it's also bitter with a bit of grass flavor. There's a slight bit of onions (and salty steak) in the taste, but it's much more understated than that big presence in the nose.

That might be it for me for the night. Hard to say.

Hope you're enjoying your NBSs ... cheers all!

 

Tonight I've had two very different beers. The first was Shiner Birthday Beer, which I liked but not quite as much as some friends I shared it with, who were raving about it for a while afterward. It does smell and taste like chocolate frosting, and it does it without coming off too sweet. The feel was a little on the light side with more of a spritzy feel than I'd like in a stout. Very nice overall, though. I just cracked open Ommegang's Boulevard collaboration Spiced Saison. Given how much I love Hennepin and having just has Tank 7 and loved it as well, I'm not surprised that this beer is also excellent. The spices are gentle but very present, and the citrus peel works very nicely in the overall character. I'll at least try any Saison from either of these breweries, if not any beer at this point.

 

Welcome!

 

New BIF Strong Ale Sunday
Here is another good one from @Homebrew

Only 1 rating for this puppy, and I get the honnor (misfortune) of the first review.

4.01/5rDev n/a
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Very dark brown. I would say black, but it has a slight amber tint if you hold it up to the light. Completely opaque with a considerable, frothy off-white head that leaves some decent lacing.

S - Outstanding. Lots of malts. Sweet bready yeast. Chocolate. Dark fruits. Also a wine or sherry like quality.

T - Sweet sugars initially with some dark fruit and toffee flavors. Has some other things going on too that I cant quite pin down along with some sourness. Also, TONS of chocolate. Finishes very bitter. Well hidden alcohol.

F - Above average carbonation. Had a crisp Belgian feel.

O - One of the more interesting beers I have had in awhile. It has a lot of Old Ale/Barleywine/Strong Ale characteristics, but it drinks most like a Belgian Strong Ale. Reminds me of 21st Ammendment Monk's Blood quite a bit. I thought this had a little more potential after seeing and smelling it. The strong chocolate flavors kind of derailed it for me. Not necessarily because they seemed out of place. More for the bitterness it seemed to impart. Still an excellent beer that I would recommend trying. Excited to have a second one to cellar.

This one was tough, but lots of fun.

 

Welcome back! Great to see you join in again after such a long break.
Cheers!

 

You may have had the wrong sleeping bag, but I dare say you have the "right beers."

 

New Beer Sunday: A new Winter Warmer, the Summit Winter Ale.

Evenin NBSers, with special greetings to all the seasoned seekers of spiced seasonal beers.

Well winter weather will soon hitting the East Coast again. First we had an inch or so of snow a few days ago and now we're expecting, starting tonight, to get a one-two punch that is forecast to leave SE PA with about 10 inches of new snow along with lots of wind and blowing snow as well by the time its all done. And the snowfall and impact of this storm are expected to be even heavier for the areas to the East and North of here where they may see 14 inches or more on up into the New England states.

Spent my day getting some exercise and then making sure the shovels and ice melt are ready and that some dry firewood is stored in the shelter of the back porch and near to hand if needed. Took care of some grocery shopping and a few other preparations. Now its time to relax with this new beer and a bit of "winter" music as a short break from the TV.

My review of the Summit Winter Ale is in progress here:

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/467/2233/?ba=drtth

and as usual it is still subject to revision.

Currently I'm listenting to the Winter portion of a set of four seasonal compositions by Antonio Vivaldi. Here is a remarkable performance of Vivaldi's music. As with some of the best brewers of the beverages we love, the young woman who is the star of this show has moved beyond formulaic technical correctness to providing a new, dynamic interpretation of this piece which is a long time favorite of many (they were composed nearly 300 years ago and are still performed regularly).





Another remarkable thing about this young woman is that she is as talented on the piano as she is with the violin:






Who says Classical music has to be boring?

 

Happy NBS! Here was my new beer today:



La Trappe Quadrupel Oak Aged Batch 8

What an interesting brew. 70% aged in whiskey barrels & 30% aged in New Fr. Oak Medium Toast. The whiskey really came through here. Although, I'm curious whose whiskey barrels they used. I'm thinking it may have been a scotch whiskey, because the peat and smoke presence was rather strong. And I love scotch, so I loved this beer. Unfortunately, it was rather flat (I had a pretty hard time getting the cork out), but this is the only criticism I have. Very complex and layered. The oak was very much present. This is certainly not your everyday brew. Very unique, but not disappointing. No regrets putting up the money for this, but I'm not sure if I'd buy it again for the price tag. I'd think about it though haha .

Cheers!

 

This will (probably) be my last new beer this week, but who knows......

DFH Raison D'Extra....



A: Pours dark brown, slightly murky, with a faint head of tan bubbles that disappear quickly to leave a glassy smooth surface. Basically what you would expect at this kind of ABV.

S: This is Sunday morning right here, banana bread and raisin oatmeal. The alcohol is already making its presence known as well.

T: Strong alcohol warmth, but very fruity and sweet. The raisins (and a nice plum/fig note) come on hard, and a smokey, burnt malt finishes it up. The alcohol is always looming in the back.

F: Medium body with basically no carbonation, but definitely not easy. It's one to sip slowly.

O: Well, what is to be expected of a caution cap beer, anyway? It's crazy bold and tells no lies. Heavy alcohol is the name of the game here. I have a few more bottles that I will let sit for a while, if it cools down a little it will be much better.

 

Glad you have enjoyed these beers so far. I personally don't get onions in that one, but we all have different tastes when it comes to hops it seems. At least it floats your boat .

That was my Super Bowl beer last year, because that exit on the NJ Turnpike is where the stadium is located. This year I still don't have one picked, so hopefully inspiration hits me soon or I'll go thirsty .

 

Nice, intimate Dead Show. Thanks.

 

Oye! Estas tratando a robar mi esposa? Jaja She's a big fan of that smooth Dominican singer.

 

that looks great, hope i can find it in my area of NY. how was it?

 

i was really blown away by this beer. cheers everyone.

 

My Pleasure. Cheers!

 

Nicely Done First Timer!!!