New Beer Sunday (week 523)

Holy snap it's already March. Been enjoying having my little Porter living with me. She's handled the transition and dealing with my work hours and the newness of living in a city for the first time amazingly well. My neighbour's girlfriend met her and immediately asked if she could please take her for walks occasionally? I was pretty damn excited as I wasn't sure what to do with her while I'm at work for 14 hours on working nights, but I leave a key under a planter and those guys come over and take her out for a bit on nights I work! Everyone wins.

The anniversary of the Trayvon Martin shooting overshadowed by a mysteriously-coloured dress and the passing of some pointy ears... it's been an interesting week. Plus, I finally finished my task of watching every single Star Trek, in order of air date, from The Original Series, through The Animated Series, Next Generation, DS9, Voyager and Enterprise, including all the movies. Fun times.

I've worked through two new (to me) brews since the clock struck midnight, though I fear I have to admit that I never felt that I got truly completely immersed in either one. I'm honestly not entirely sure why that is. Whether it's because they're not as... severe or unique as some of the other stuff I've been drinking lately, or just that I've been so damn tired of late with long hours at work and still working on transitioning the puppy to nocturnal scheduling.
They were both pretty good, though. I may not have been able to delve into the specific flavours and aromas as much as I normally like to claim I do, or I may just have been distracted, or whatever, but I did at least enjoy them both?

Hop Hunter has a spicy/sweet/juicy characteristic, and was a little grainier on the nose than the tongue. Enjoyable, I'd put it in the above average tier of IPAs, and will probably drink it again, especially being year round. Good, but not great. My verdict is rendered!
Because my neurotic brain has to give everything topical commonalities, I had to find an 'appropriate' beer with which to follow up. In that perversion I concluded that I should FINALLY crack into one of those bottles of Lagunitas Imperial Stout that's been sitting in my fridge since last May (what with the whole lawsuit from Lagunitas about the Hop Hunter label...)

Eh, tenuous at best, but it's what I went for. LIS, as I'll shorten it, carries a lot of the stereotypical imperial stout characteristics. Creamy soft chocolate (both milk-sweet, and some almost bitter bakers) dominates, with some generic roasty malts running underneath. Basically this is a well done imperial stout, if one that does not stand out necessarily. In that regard it was an appropriate followup to Hop Hunter. Good, enjoyable, will gladly drink again, but didn't really stand out, and I have other (local) options that I enjoy slightly more. There's nothing wrong with being a well done example of a generic interpretation; sometimes adequate is acceptable!

With all the Star Trek-type stuff, I stumbled across some gems from Shatner's Has Been. Ummm....

And another track I came across this week that I've been enjoying. She's got a great voice, I dig the track, the themes of the song...

Cheers, Y'all!!

 

Here is my New Beer. It went perfect with the home made pizza for lunch. After drinking this I may have to explore the IPL category a bit more. I love the clean fresh taste of the lager yeast along with a heavy hop presence. I have had a couple and this by far is the best I have had. I wish I had a better camera and take the time to get my DIL wire cage out of the way.

 

The Rockingham Brewing Company opened its doors in Derry, N.H. about a week ago and their first bottle offering is a standard Amber Ale called Rockingham Ale. Someone added this to the BA database but mine was the first review. You basic textbook example of what an amber ale should be like with a nice pine hop bite at the end. Hopefully this brewery will have new offerings soon.

 

New Beer for this fine sunday is Evil Twin Freudian Slip (American Style Barleywine). Bottle date is 3/12/14, so drinking this with 1 year on it. I bought it last year but decided to sit on it as its billed "Attention Seekingly Hoppy". I like my barleywines aged, but i also like them with less hop profile.

Up front there is a huge sweetness, sugary malts, dark winter fruits, and some brighter fruity sweetness. Mid way through the beer transforms, in comes the hop bitterness! What?!?! Your still there hops after all this time? Who says hops fade with time? Bitter piney hops, slight citrus, and complimented by a nice port-like oaky, dry finish.

I liked this one, but i probably pulled the trigger too early, i might have liked it better with 2-3 yrs on it. Or maybe you just cant kill the hops on this thing, haha, who knows. Something tells me with more time the finish will less feature hops and some more aggressive port/sherry notes will come forward.

 

I like to try and make it a New Beer Style Sunday (NBS^2) when possible. This week it was made possible by my wife's travels to this year's MOSES conference in La Crosse.

Needed some backlighting to capture the garnet color. It is always great to find a different edge of the envelope.
Old and oaky, tart fruit and some roasted notes.

 

Greetings fellow NBSers! A sunny day here in the Fourth Corner, the temps are climbing up, and the afternoon looks like it's shaping up nicely. We really didn't have a winter this year, and with our cherry blossoms going strong, flowers popping up through the soil, and trees starting to bud out, I hereby proclaim spring to be sprung here in Cascadia!

One of my local bars, The Copper Hog, had Barleyswine Fest yesterday, but I didn't attend. Instead here I am on a Sunday morn with a taplist full of BWs in front of me. Luckily, the Hog offers their draft selections in 4, 12, or 16 oz pours, so y'all can expect to see several of them here. And, hopefully,this NASCAR race get rolling soon. First up is a nice BA BW from the South Puget Sound: http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/25053/160642/

 

Making a turkey bacon club on 7 grain bagel while enjoying this Pils.

Aromas of big floral, spicy hop presence along with a very clean malt scent. Some grain and very mild citrus notes.

For a Pils it starts off with the hops. Bold with a floral and spicy flavor that moves into a very mild citrus taste. A very clean, cracker malt with grains finish this off. Well carbonated and quite dry for a Pils. Very crisp and refreshing.

I probably enjoyed this because it is quite different from a typical malty Pils. The hops are much more present that you would expect for this style and I like it.

 

Good MORNING folks.
Well I have one that I hear is quire good lined up for today...It's probably a tad hoppy to pull off with my mexican scrable. I'm looking at you @Roguer .
While I'm not getting on my high horse, it's a bit early onn this chilly SoCal day for me to crack it yet.
I'll be back with Valiant's Alpha Drive DIPA.

Until then...Cheers All

 

Starting my NBS with a bang, @bstyle sent me a really nice box this is week so I am drinking a beer that I have been excited to try since the first time I heard about it, and it is crazy good.

Prairie Pirate Bomb! - Prairie Artisan Ales

4.87/5 rDev +7.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Big thanks to bstyle for this
12 oz bottle poured into a teku

A- Black with a two finger mocha head.

S- Chili peppers, rich creamy chocolate, hints of coffee, some vanilla, rum, some dark fruits, just really in your face and amazing.

T- Wow, this is intense and amazing, a lot more rum than the nose. Sweet rum, hints of oak, coffee, rich creamy chocolate, some vanilla, faint chillies, low heat.

M- Smooth, full body.

O- Really well done, better than regular Bomb! which is great. Truly worth seeking out, it is nicely balanced and the alcohol is well hidden.

I have tried regular Bomb!, Bible Belt, and Christmas Bomb!, and I have say Pirate Bomb! is the best!

 

From Clown Shoes in Ipswich Ma.
Garden State Rhapsody, A NJ exclusive brew.
Whoa, The brewers at Clown Shoes took 12 barrels of a Rye barrel aged Imperial Stout. Blended them with 3 barrels of a Rye barrel aged Barley Wine. Than shipped it all to NJ. God bless them. It looks like an Imperial Stout but smells and tastes like what it is a blend. The strongest flavor is the Stout but it does not overpower the barley Wine or the Rye. Simply outstanding. I don't like to hype beers but if you see this buy it. It also has a great label.

 

Which I'd take over SoS any day.... :-)

 

we have a piano, built in the 1920's. I'll never forget the day it was delivered. Very tricky getting it into the house! Good luck to you and cheers.

 

Can you go two rounds? Because I'm not sure, oh well. Here goes another one because I didn't think of including this in my first post (plus it's probably too late). Here goes: bottle-conditioned Cookie Beer from Belgium at 8% ABV

I originally just got this for the "whoa" effect for the next time I'd have a chill beer session but then I thought "what if it's horrible?" so I'm kinda trying it now to see before I give it to any guests.




A - Pours a dark, yeasty orange-brown with a large frothy head that dissipates slowly.

S - Funky Belgian yeast is the first thing I'd say you smell. I honestly don't smell too much more on this.

T - Spicy, actually a lot like your "usual" Belgian Strong/Golden Ale. You get some spice first, then some hints of fruit and on the back end more spices. There is a hint of Spekulatius spices in here but it's less pronounced than I thought and it tends to vary a bit with the sips. I think the strongest spice note you get in here is cinnamon.

M - Quite a level of carbonation and I'd say a bit stronger than medium bodied.

O - This is an oddball, really. I'm kind of ambivalent about this. It's nothing really good and it's nothing really bad, either - definitely not a drainpour for me. Oddly enough, the one thing that slightly bugs me about this is the somewhat alcoholic note that comes on the backend - the spices aren't much of an issue. They actually remind me of Glühwein or Glühmet. Although this is definitely not as good as the barleywine.

Addendum: Yes, I am indeed watching Boston Legal while trying beer. Never gets old.

 

Damn Jordan-led Bulls had *everybody's* number ...

I'm biased being a big Rockets/Olajuwon fan, but that 1994 Finals is grossly underrated because those Knicks ... man, can you imagine dropping that quintet into the league today? These little pop-gun salary cap teams wouldn't have a chance against Ewing-Oakley-Mason in the frontcourt. Oh, my ...

RIP, Mace!

(catching up with you NBSers in a few ... you gals and guys start too early for the late shift! )

 

You and @rgordon have inspired me to give Sound another chance next time I'm at a bottleshop. I had a couple of bottles from them a year or so ago that seemed infected or otherwise horrifically blighted, and have been generally steering clear.

So, Poulsbo is South Puget Sound? I guess I consider places like Tacoma, Oly, Gig Harbor as SPS, but then again, where you live, Everett can be considered South Puget Sound I guess.

 

Your post is the first time I've actually looked at those beers side-by-side, and I am now more than ever convinced Lagunitas needed a slap upside the head when they decided to file suit.

 

RD! Great stuff. I went there months ago. Cute little brewery. Loved the Bollocks.

 

Well, technically, Poulsbo is both South Sound, and Oly Pen! I've always found to be a pretty solid brewery, that sometimes knocks a beer out of the park. I've never had a "bad" beer from them. If you got infections, IMHO, that would be a rare thing.

 

Greetings, HBC-431 heroes and crystal malt crusaders, it’s time for another session of your favorite NWNJ Cicerone-in-training’s NBS review. Please withhold your applause until after the conclusion of the performance. It’s a nasty 22 degrees (weather.com says it feels like 14) and snowing here in the po-dunk town of Stanhope, NJ. In a moment of solitude and contemplation, I decided to review a NJ exclusive. Also- it is 24 days and counting until I stand up to be tried, tested, measured (and hopefully not found wanting) at Cloverleaf for my Cicerone Exam.

On the docket: Garden State Rhapsody by Clown Shoes

Poured: Into my River Horse snifter with vigor.

Sight: Blacker than black with some deep brown and red highlights. We’ll call is an SRM of 40… maybe 45, since I bet beyond 40-50, you can’t really tell. The head sits a very dark tan, but recedes. It now sits as a thin cap, sporting an archipelago of bubbles. Maybe I don’t have a beer-clean snifter.

Aroma: When I first poured it, the head smelled much more fragrant. One gets vanilla, a bit o’ wood, and definite alcohol presence.

Taste: The taste mimics the smell. I also get a small amount of roasted malt, a bit of chocolate, and I think (might be easier to tell when it’s warmed up) a touch of sweetness and raisiny/dark fruit, which would explain the barleywine blend. The non-stout side is easier to detect in the beginning, not the end. This one also shows a little bit of bitterness, likely from the roast, but also from the hops.

Feel: Tingly, tiny bubbles. It ends smooth, with silky finish that also dries out. I’ll chalk that up to the rye barrels. It coats the mouth with a little bit of oil (not literally). I’ll call it medium-plus, or maybe even full.

Overall: Wow. Clown Shoes has yet to disappoint me with their blended, barreled, experimental stuff. THAT is why I grabbed one to age.

Music pairing? NJ exclusive beer deserves a NJ exclusive prog-metal band, with a track based on another monster, scarier than the Jersey Devil...