New Beer Sunday (Week 530)

Progressing to this .....



Look: Golden blonde like any respectable Belgian blonde should be. Nearly 2 fingers of fluffy white head.

Smell: All KINDS of Belgian funk, estery fruity goodness mixed in.

Taste: The Belgian funk TANG whops you upside the head, estery fruity goodness follows, with some warming alcohol on the finish.

Feel: Well carbonated, bubbly almost like a sparkling wine.

Overall: I really like Ommegang, and this is a world-class Belgian blonde, IMHO.

 

What's next for our hero?!? evening is winding down... This looked interesting so had to grab one... lets give it a go.

Kraken - Ocean City Brewing Company


Ocean City Brewing - Kraken Beast of the East IPA by imbibehour, on Flickr

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Poured from the can into a Spiegelau IPA glass. Canned March 6th, 2015 (different!),

Body color comes out a bit unfiltered but not horribly turbid. A very nice amber red ale glow with some nice rising carbonation, through hues of orange and red. Head though is quite lifeless, barely making a finger with some soapy off tan to white color. Does manage to hang on with a half finger puck, and a thick soapy collar.

Aroma is almost non existent. Never mind hints of classic IPA hop bouquet, even at this many weeks this beer is not that old. I am literally smelling nothing in hop aroma. Even the malts are really small, a bit of white flour grain with a small touch of sweet honey perhaps, but I am really struggling to get anything here. As with all my closed sensing beers I review, rating goes neutral. There may be nothing going on, but at least it isn't off putting or ruined. A little concerned though where this might be leading.

Palate luckily becomes the saving grace. Finally senses of what is an IPA show up. Hints of tangerine and orange citrus come nicely in the mid palate, a finish of pine and a bitter dryness but also a bit of aspirin like bitterness and medicinal. Some of the hop action gets supported with just enough sweet malts which actually make a nice balance. Watery palate though and could use quite a bit more depth, as the beer washes a bit to easily, almost like a session IPA.

An unexpected angle, and seemed like things were going to go from average to worse, but they managed to save itself. Still it's a crowded field here in the IPA realm and this one is not really standing out. Drinkable at least, but really can't remember when I've scored a beer this way before, this rarely ever happens.

look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5 | BA Score: 3.37

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New Farmhouse Sunday

Hey NBSers,

Another beautiful day in the High Desert, and more new beer from @beertunes to share. A relatively quiet beer week here, as most breweries had their sights on Portland for the Craft Brewers Conference, though I did get to meet some local Untappd friends in real life and shared beers. Some elements of COBW started to gel, and it's a good thing with less than 5 weeks to go. SMaSH Fest looks killer again, and we're going to have more events outside of Bend than before for more Central Oregon in Central Oregon Beer Week.

Wild Warehouse by Wander Brewing of Bellingham, Washington



Another surprise Whatcom's Finest (patent pending) box brought this beer to my doorstep. The cynic in me thinks @beertunes is just buying my vote for BA of the Year 2015, otherwise he's just a helluva nice guy. Wild Warehouse is a farmhouse ale aged 9mo in Chardonnay with an unspecified wild array of bugs. It pours a deep hazy honey color without much head retention, settling quickly to a thin white rim. The aroma is farmhouse spice and a little funk, a couple octaves higher is a layer of pear and apple riding the alcohol. The taste is initially fruity sweet with mild esters, then a slight sourness that transitions to a dry finish in the back of the throat. I keep saying to myself, "one more sip, then I can sum it all up and finish this post," but I always need one more sip. It's a beautiful beer, and I think I can pull out the various components, but it's so many directions at once (in a good way) that I'm at a loss for a comparison or reference. So, I guess it's an average Chardonnay Barrel Aged Farmhouse Ale? 4.25/5

 

Good evening BA's, welcome to my first nbs. Tonight I'm going to test the waters with a nebco...the infamous, risqué if you will.. Gandhi Bot.

Appears as a light golden unfiltered offering, white head that dissipates rapidly, but leaves desirable lacing as the beer goes down.

Smells slightly malty, strong on the hop notes, and foreshadows a good time.

Tastes like everything I anticipated. Mild carbonation, beautiful hops, crystal malt flavor. A little on the savory side, but in an enjoyable way.

Overall, glad to be a part of this nbs and enjoying this bad boy. Man is it good. My opinion, a home run ball and much easier attainable than a lot of the other dipas gents try to get their hands on.

I'm going to finish this thing now, enjoy your night everyone!

 

Greetings All:

A new one for me and also for the site. HeathenWeizen from Heathen Brewing of Vancouver, WA. I have seen some of these brews on tap, but I think this is my first bottle.
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30365/169082/?ba=RJLarse

Not a bad American Wheat, along the lined of a Widmer IMO.

Glorious day here in the Columbia Basin. Sunny with temps in the mid 70'2. I got a some early seeding done in the vegetable garden.

Until next week,

Happy Trails!

 

So. It's only my second time posting in this thread. I love new beer. And I love posting on here but have been lazy despite all of the new beer I have drank recently.

Only my second time with anything Fremont, and the first time was last night with a non-barrel aged version of Dark Star. Also delicious and could be a go to if it was available near me.



Here are my thoughts on it...

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/20680/140119/?ba=zoober911

Anywho, gotta get in a couple big ones in before I leave for vacation and don't have access to this stuff!

 

Cheers and a happy Sunday to you all BA's. This will be my first time enjoying Oud Beersel Oude Kriek Vieille. It's a beautiful day out here in the sunny Bay Area so I figured it'd be a perfect time to break out a tart treat. Lots of cherries, subtle funk. I'd recommend this one to someone new to sourish beers who was trying to get into the genre, and am going to try to remember to post it in the ever popular "recommend a sour beer to a noob" thread. Hope you're all having a wonderful day.

 

Finishing with this .....



Look: Rich amber, 1-1/2 fingers of opaque white head.

Smell: The oak is present, but the molasses and toffee aromas sneak in to make your mouth water.

Taste: The oak takes a vanilla flavor, and the molasses and toffee flavors balance that perfectly. This is a traveshamockery good dessert beverage, if you choose to go down that path.

Feel: Nice carbonation for a beverage this big, the malt bill is a syrupy balance that fits this beverage very well.

Overall: I have a bottle of KBS aging in my beverage fridge that I just assumed would go to the head of my Founders class. That is no longer a safe assumption after enjoying this magnificent Old Ale. Well done by an iconic American brewer. Rating = 4.42

 

I haven't been active lately on this forum, but couldn't resist posting a review of Oculto. On sale at Publix, and the slick packaging sucked me in. Glad it was on sale. Not the worst "beer" I've had, but can't think of an occasion to buy this again (at least for myself!). Cheers!



http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/29/152826/?ba=CASK1

 

Thanks for the kind words. I had a relative that worked as a contractor for NASA during its heyday and I inherited a few trinkets as I'm sort of the family conservator. I haven't a clue as to whether Third Coast or any of their beers is the base beer for Saturn. I'm sort of curious now that you brought that up. I may need to dig a little deeper, as I find it a very intriguing and delicious beer. Cheers!

 

New Beer Sunday: a local American Pale Ale


Evenin' NBSers, with special greetings to all you Admirers, Purchasers and Advocates for APAs.

Today was a fine time to do some yard clean up, pruning of bushes and other general preparations for the return of good weather (but also lawn mowing :-( ). Tonight we should get a lot of rain so timing of nice weather was good for yard pick up and clean up.

Also got in a bit of time break time reading James Bradley's book "Flags of Our Fathers." Bradley's father was one of the Marines shown in the iconic photo of the American flag being raised on Iwo Jima in WW II. I'm now about half way through the book and into the first couple of days of the battle (which actually went on and on for over 30 days). While I'm reading the words and understanding them the mind balks at actually understanding what the men on both sides went through in that battle.

But on to more pleasant things. My new beer today is Neshaminy Creek's J.A.W.N. which is an APA and the J.A.W.N. stands for Juicy Ale With Nugget. The beer is definitely living up to its name and I think I've found a new beer to add to my rotation and, after reported on some of their beers here, a new brewery to add to my list of locals making beers worth drinking.

As usual, my review is in progress here (and subject to revision until the beer is finished):

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/29021/144928/?ba=drtth


After the music selected by @Roguer for his starting post today I thought it would be interesting for those who like Beethoven to see/hear what the final movement of that symphony sounds like with a huge Chorus:




It is equally as powerful an experience to watch and listen to something started by the simple act of a young girl:




Cheers all!

 

My second new beer sunday and second sour. I went Lake Tahoe on a work trip and got a chance to check out Tahoe Mountain Brewing Co in Truckee, CA. I wasn't expecting much, but I was blown away. They are doing some awesome small batch sours. I picked up two bottles, including Higashino farmhouse, a saison brewed with pear juice, Sorachi Ace, rosehips, peppercorns and brett. It could have been a huge disaster, but the adjuncts complement a really nice tart lemony saison, and the pear juice helps to tamp down the sourness. The carbonation is lively; only a slight but of acetone but otherwise a no off flavors I could find. For small brewery doing sours this was really impressive. I wish I picked up more bottles. If you have access don't sleep on this brewery!



Cheers BA

 

What's up nbs. Spent most of the day recovering and resting from my visit to Other Half brewing and my first mets game of the season last night. Finally feeling up for a beer. Nice sunny day here on the island but breezy with a definite chill in the air.
My new beer is Unity IPA from greenport harbor brewing, here on long island. Stopped into their brewery today to see that they are a week or so away from releasing their first bottles and that should be pretty cool.

Amber pour with full clarity. Nose is pretty tame with sugary hops and slight pine notes. The initial sip comes over a dry and hoppy. A bitter flowing finish with more pine notes, and earthy malts. The mouth feel is a bit light and airy but still decent. The brew really seems to take on the west coast style in the spectrum.

Overall I found the beer to be pretty average at best. A little too earthy and it just doesn't really deliver for me. I'm in the mid to low 3's all around.

 

Did ya ever have one of those days where every task you needed to do was fraught with unforseen difficulties and took you twice as long as you expected? Yup, that was me today. Thankfully I am at a satisfying enough stopping point that I can take a well-deserved beer break. And I happen to have just the thing on hand...

This is all thanks to @guinness77 , btw, who just sent this one to me out of the blue; I repayed that kindness by nearly giving him a heart attack, naturally. That's how it's done, right? What happened was this- he was nice enough to give me a heads-up that a box was coming, so I told my family to be on the lookout for it as well, and that there was beer inside. Unfortunately, that night I had a doctor's appointment and came home late, and didn't really see anybody or the box before turning in for the night. Heck- I even checked the porch right beforehand to make sure there wasn't a late delivery; it wasn't there so I assumed it would come the next day. Anyway, to cut to the chase, the box was delivered unbeknownst to me, so that led to some very tense hours while we tried to figure out where it was the whole next day.

My son actually put the whole box in the beer fridge, just to be a nice helpful sort- only I didn't find it until the next night. He could've left a note; I could've asked around- but neither of those things happened. It's like a Three's Company plot, only with beer, right? So what was in there that could cause a heart attack if it was indeed lost somewhere-

Ta daaaaa:


Wowzers! A sincere million thanks again- this is a real treat! (Sorry again, too )

The aroma is rich with dark fudgy chocolate and bourbon. Roast coffee and vanilla dance around the edges, adding depth, but for now the cocoa is stealing the show. The palate is so full and plush right off the bat, the coffee becomes more prominent before giving way to just the right amount of bourbon and another solid blow of the dark chocolate. Bitterness comes on late, more reminiscent of an 85% dark cacao bar than a beer- everything is just seamless and works so well together. Midway through the glass the bourbon and vanilla become inseparable as the bourbon takes an even more supporting role. In the end this is just smooth and delicious, extremely well put together, nothing more need be said. A+ (4.75) Just what I needed, too.

Time to relax

 

Haha....well told. I was cursing FedEx like a sonofabitch too. I didn't realize you never had this before, so that makes me feel even better. Cheers man. Happy you enjoyed it.

 

New Flavored Malt Beverage Sunday
I found this in a few "Haul" pics, but no listing so far. I noticed it in a gas station with the rest of the BMC cans earlier this week (not a good start) because I remembered reading about it recently on an Ohio blog. The brewery is actually in Wisconsin, but the ownership group is based in NE Ohio. @Ri0, you or any other Badgers have any knowledge of this place?


$1.69 for 16 ozs. Cant be that bad, right?...
Anyway, pours a semi transparent ruby brown with virtually no head.

Smells enough like root beer. Sassafras and vanilla. Really sweet.

Things get out of hand quickly though. The initial sip almost gets spit back into the glass. Hard to describe really. Very artificial tasting. Fake sugar sweetener, cheap imitation vanilla, and a "root beer" flavor that reminds me of the root beer flavored candies/suckers I had as a kid. Just real concentrated. All of this followed immediately by cheap alcohol. Actually not overly boozy, but not good. The aftertaste, while not great by any means, is where the best flavors are evident. Enough to make you think you just had a root beer instead of a shot glass of the fountain soda (pop for you Ohians) syrup from the box. (Yes, I have done that. I worked in a few restaurants)

Pretty flat on the carbonation.

To sumarize, buy Not Your Father's Root Beer.

Going to be honest. I am not finishing this one.
Appearance 3
Aroma 3.25
Taste 2.50
Feel 3.25
Overall 2.75 range

I had a hard time finding any info. Googled the address below. Maybe @Jason @Todd or one of the mods can help create a listing to save some poor soul in the future. I tried. Chasing my tail.

 

Hmmm, my Psych professor used to tell us that the typical male had an impure thought about once every 18 minutes. That’s a lot of Dale's... :-)

 

Saison De Lis
Perennial Artisan Ales
Saison / Farmhouse Ale / 5.00% ABV
3.83/5 rDev -0.5% | rAvg: 3.85
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Bottle poured into a Belgian style tulip

A: Pours a hazy, golden orange color with a bright white head, the head quickly vanished, lots of tiny bubbles, no lacing, looks like very juicy.

A: Belgian yeast, chamomile flowers are present in the aroma, reminds of chamomile tea, picking up biscuit aromas, there is spice peppercorn aroma in there as well, smells pretty good.

T: Belgian yeast, spice, slight chamomile flavor, the chamomile is stronger on the aroma, spice is pretty strong, it's the one flavor that lingers most.

M: Less than medium mouthfeel, lots of carbonation.

O: Impressive aroma but I was a bit disappointed with the flavor, very spicy, I would like some sweet pear, peach flavors to balance the spiciness. Not bad, most likely will not seek this out as I have had other saisons that I enjoy more.