New Beer Sunday (week 532)

A bittersweet moment. My oldest daughter is a genius (really) with a PhD in Physics. She worked at NASA on the shuttle program until that shut down, then did some work at Sandia Labs. She's lived in Houston and Albuquerque for many years, which meant we didn't see our daughter and grandsons that often. Last summer she took a job with Keurig and moved to Framingham. We got to see her and the boys quite often, which was great. However, she missed aerospace. Just this week she took a job with Virgin Galactic. It's kind of a dream job for her. The downside it's in California, so they'll be moving there this summer. My wife and I are happy for her, but sad they're moving across the country.

I am drinking this quad today, brewed by Henniker Brewing in New Hampshire. I've had some of their beers and not been that impressed. However, this beer nailed it.
Not that much to look at. Reddish brown color. No head, even with an aggressive pour.
Complex aroma. Dark fruit, spice. A little bit of leather, and a little bit of alcohol.
Taste even better. Raisins and plums. A bit of nutmeg. Somewhat tannic. There was still some alcohol present.
This was a very smooth, tasty beer. The alcohol was not at all intrusive.
Thoroughly enjoyed the beer!

 

Hey. I'm getting a late start by my normal NBS standards, but if you'll pardon me I had to run a Half Marathon this morning, then rush home and watch my DVR'd Chelsea v Crystal Palace match. Chelsea are the Premier League Champions! And with a Championship win, I needed a championship beer. I've drank Breckenridge for every Chelsea match this season, and I was delighted to find Buddha's Hand in their Mountain Series mixed 12 pack. Uhhh, I drank their SummerBright for the match though

By the way, I haven't even reviewed this yet, so this post is LIVE and NOW. This beer is classified as a witbier and comes in at 5.5% ABV. By the way -- Buddha's Hand is citron variety fruit. It looks very weird. Google it -- it's crazy!

The beer looks a hazy, cloudy rusty light orange color with an egg shell colored head ... almost white. Light patchy lacing sticks to the glass.

The aroma is dominated by wheat and citrus. It definitely smells like a witbier. The citrus notes are more orange than lemon in my opinion. There's also a little white pepper spiciness in here.

The taste is spot-on with the nose ... very malty however. The body is creamy and all about the grains and wheat while it's dressed up with that citrus zest ... not overpowering. Seems to be a slightly boozy quality about this? The finish is dry and peppery. Is peppery a word?

Overall: Probably not my favorite Breck brew, but worthy of celebrating champions any way I see it. I have 3 in the Mountain Series mixer, that's enough. But I admire Breckenridge for making this, it opened my mind to another weird fruit, and that's always good. This is a decent warm weather beer, it's just that I'm not a witbier fan, maybe one of my least favorite styles overall. I'm guessing I'll rate this somewhere around 3.75 to 4.

I will post a song I listened to during my run this morning that totally pushed me on to the finish line. What a great day. Cheers.

 

Hey What's going on?!?

Big weekend, gorgeous too.. busy as all get out.

I am whipping up a storm in the kitchen as I am hosting for my book club. We are DWARP... Drinkers with a REading problem.. and so I am cooking up for a bunch of friends and been insanely busy.

Things look good to go ... nothing fancy. My 2 cats are in Spring fever and ripping through the house though trying to get outside on this gorgeous day....

After waking up at 8 and working in the kitchen for 4 hours then I had to mow the lawn... oh god it's killing me... but it looks great as it is getting hot out there.

So we have to have a new brew! Just like every other day right?!? I mean come on rrigght?! Well still digging into some North Carolina goodies of late... and very much enjoying it..

What's new for our hero today?!??!

Nocturne Barrel Aged Smoked Imperial Porter - Green Man Brewery


Green Man Brewing Co. - Nocturne Barrel Aged Smoked Imperial Porter by imbibehour, on Flickr

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Poured from the bottle into a snifter glass.

Thick creamy two finger head, almost orange but with a lighter espresso tan color to it and big bubbled in the middle puck. Classic dark walnut brown, just a little bit of light coming through it. A little bit of leggy spotted lacing on the edges, and a little bit of dissolve after a small amount of time. Quite nice looking.

Big fruity aroma hits at first. Large amount of grape to plum and raisin notes, with hinted dark berried fruit as well. Wonderful smokey notes which seem to also get more softer with barrel wood quality adding to them. Spicy notes as well, a bit of clove and mixing char too. Really impressive with excellent balance. Love the smoke accents on this particularly.

Palate brings the goods. Light bodied porter qualities giving to classic charring basic notes, brought out larger in the finish with hints of charcoal. The smoke quality really brings out everything in this brew wonderfully Charring roast and smoked rich wood, mixing with classic flavors of tobacco and bitter chocolate in the mid palate. Washes very clean in the finish, almost just too light but right there in the style realm on the button. Fruit angle comes out a bit drier, with the aftertaste feeling and giving to some tannic woody flavors, and dried fruit raisin. Mid palate just gives a wash of that plum and dates like sweetness that just hits wonderfully with the smoke flavors.

Such is the way with this style for me it seems, a mix of large and light, as often at time Imperial porter and barrel aging takes almost a contradictory stance. But here we have a unique twist and one that has really got a unique angle accentuating the flavors wonderfully. Excellent job.

look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5 | BA Score : 4.46

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Well that's news for now... dunno how many more beers I am gonna get in.. we shall see!

Cheers!

 

Happy New Am. Black Ale Sunday

Greetings,
and thanks to @utopiajane for gettings us going "officially". Beautiful spring day in SCMN and it's so nice to have a real spring in these parts it is rather rare and huge difference from 3 of the last 4 years (in which not only was is bad there was really no spring at all).
Wrong time of day for today's beer

My reaction is mixed on this one. Some exceptional flavors and aroma's on this one, but also some off-putting ones as well. The total is good, but not as great as it seems to be approaching.
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/220/112938/?ba=garymuchow
Still adjusting to the idea of no videos on NBS. I'll admit finding new music in addition to new beers was an attraction, I feel a loss if that's the way it is going to go.
Best to all

 

Greetings NBS, and thanks to UtopiaJane for getting things rolling.
Time for some more weekend work at the Cemetery, seasonal cleanup
never seems to end. Today is my first try of a Funky Buddha offering. Brought home by
my travelling sweetheart earlier this week. The Hefeweizen style is something I visit but
have not explored deeply, that said this was quite nice.
Cheers all and
Thanks to Todd for the note on re-posting I appreciate it!
Floridian Hefeweizen

Funky Buddha Brewery
Hefeweizen / 5.60% ABV

3.6/5 rDev -5% | rAvg: 3.79
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a Pilsner glass. No date or code on bottle.
My sweetheart brought 3 bottles home from her recent trip to FL.
A - Dark straw color, slightly hazy. Active carbonation quickly creates a snow white 1/2"
cap that quickly dissipates, no lacing at all.
S - That Hefeweizen yeast sets the tone immediately with banana and clove, then comes the citrus warm fruits apricot, orange and fine honey. There is just enough room for a hint of English cracker in there.
T - No messing around here, wheat strong, banana and tropicals straight from the nose to the palate. The citrus component wraps things up nicely.
M - Surprisingly slick on the palate not in the best way, Carbonation is present but not up the challenge of the grain, yeast combination. Sweet finish lingers for some time and closes out with citrus oil quality.
O - A nice Hefeweizen for sure, this has inspired a few purchases of the German classics for future tasting. The citrus elements are pleasant, I wonder if that slickness is the intent. Overall worth tyring for sure.
Cheers

 

No videos? Did I miss something??

 

This brew pours a cloudy orange color with a fluffy two finger white head which lasts until the end and great lacing.

The smell is loaded with orange, grapefruit and pine hops. There is a thick malty, bready backbone with some caramel as well.

The taste follows the nose with grapefruit, orange and pine hops dominating; it feels kind of like drinking a pine cone. Pine hop oil is left on the tongue after swallowing. The caramel malt backbone is present from start to finish and complements the hops. The feel is bready but also a little oily. I would recommend this to someone who has not tried an IPA and was wondering if they would like this style.

 

Greetings everybody, and happy New Beer Sunday. I spent yesterday on Long Island at my brother's Kentucky Derby Party. What a great time, kicking back with the old gang, eating too much, and drinking just enough .

I may have had my fill of Vermont IPAs yesterday thanks to some generous folks who filled his fridge, but I may as well try just one more today-

Rock Art Belvedere Big IPA-
a suitable accompaniment to getting the herb garden in order. It starts with big citrus and pine (maybe even rosemary, but then again that could be the plants ) but quickly gives way to softer fruits like plum and apricot, and then some herbal earthiness comes on late. The mouthfeel is lush, with just the slightest hit of bitterness at the end. I enjoyed this more earlier in the bottle when it was more aggressive, but it's still pretty OK. Solid B (3.65)

 

I missed the running this year.. I was out in DC for embassies Open House and then running off to RFK for a soccer game.

Didn't get my patented mint julep in... but ironically my mint didn't get into this year... it's too small with later Spring bloom this year for a change

 

Nice review! Can't wait to try this myself!

 

Yeah- mine just started to show some life itself. Everything is so late this year.

 

My calf is feeling much better, can almost walk normally at a relaxed pace - any attempt at increased vigor leads to a sharp reminder that I am still injured. Golf is on hold for a bit longer, but I should be able to get some light walks around the neighborhood this week, hopefully.

First new beer today (second overall), purchased on a suggestion by beer store guy. This beer was a tad expensive, but since we don't see Prairie where we are, decided to grab it. Funky Gold Amarillo is listed as an American wild ale. American wild? Brett Saison? Berlinerweiss? I got impressions of all of these in this beer.



The initial wafts from the glass seemed lemon or sour milk like, but once I got my nose into it, it was more funky sour-like I get from Brett-based beers. The taste was a tad farmhouse at times, but also somewhat clean in others, including the finish. Very light on carbonation; on a warmer beer I start to get a tannin-like dryness. Bit too expensive to be in a rotation (even if it were available around here), but glad I tried it. Wonder what the Mosaic version tastes like?

 

Yup cold winter... Later Spring.. glad I didn't do the hop vine experiment this year

 

Yep. See this post from last week's NBS...

 

Happy NBS! Been waiting all week this for this one. Glad I'm finally able to open this.



A- Black with hues of deep mahogany in the light. If there was a head it fizzled out with a quickness. Looks like soda.

S- Outstanding. Vanilla, spices, root beer. Smell is off the charts. Hope the taste follows suit.

T- Not very impressed. It tastes close to root beer for sure but falls short of the high bar set by the nose. All the elements are there but tastes kind of watered down. Alcohol isn't hidden very well for 5.9%. Guess I was expecting more flavor. Still not bad, just not "wowed".

F- Medium to thin. Feel is very soda like but I've had root beers more carbonated than this. Sort of feels like a root beer starting to go flat.

O- Glad I got to try it and would recommend to anyone interested in this style. I probably won't go out of my way to get it again but I definitely love the concept. Maybe the higher abv variants are closer to what I'm looking for in this beer. Might try to seek those out.

3.99/5 rDev -8.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Cheers!

 

Thanks ! Definitely a hophead's delight !

 

I forgot to compensate for the alliteration deficit in my last post, so here goes:

"Greetings to all adulators of alts, proponents of pilseners, bishops of barleywines and guardians of gose!"
'nuff said.

Back with my first new beer of today, an "All Malt Beer" from that hotbed of traditional brewing, South Korea:

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1472/77497/?ba=woemad

Actually worse than I expected, but part of that was due to age.

From here, it only gets better!

 

Happy NBS everybody! A beautiful sunny day in North of Boston, clouds are just rolling in and all the neighbors are out doing yard work while a pack of kids are running around the houses. Ive spent the morning tending to my budding and shooting Cascade hops, getting my poles in the ground so they can start there climb to the sky. I saw a baby bunny when I first went out, seems EVERYONES kids are running around.
As the Wife had been pregnant (newborn day 5) I had been saving a bunch of Pumpkin beers for her in the basement. I have some good ones, as it was a little tough to find something with a high enough ABV and style to hold for a couple months. So, today we are enjoying a Long Trail Imperial Pumpkin. The artwork on the bottle reminds me of the tap room they have in Vt (a must see for any hiker), and pours a thick caramel color with good head retention. First smell is vegetable pumpkin with definite clove and cinnamon lingering. The taste follows, and am glad its Imperial as it is not just sweet Pumpkin Pie but actually has some roast to it which gives the nice caramelized flavor you look for from oven roasted Pumpkins. If they had deodorant of this, pretty sure my wife would apply it! I am not a HUGE fan of the Pumpkin craze, but the wife is, and right now it's all about her.
Will be back later with a goodie from @JacksAbbyBrewing , still the only brewery that has done no wrong by me!
Cheers!

 

Greetings, NBSers. It’s too hot, too loud, and too late for my liking. Unlike most of my reviews, this one will lack adornment.

Examined: Lagunitas Equinox

Sight: Clear and orangey amber, swims under a stark white cap of head that lingers with good retention. Microscopic, lazy bubbles make their way to the top.

Smell: Hops. A mix of pine and citrus, I think. My nose is apparently shot.

Taste: Same impression as the aroma, with a little bit of malt and sweetness to balance out the hops. Not terribly bitter, but shouldn’t be for a pale ale.

Feel: Best part of this beer, and I attribute the oats. Smooth, creamy. Tingly, dryish finish.

Overall: I want to like it. But I’m not thrilled. HOWEVER, abv quotient aside (8%) it fits within the boundaries of the style. Judged on style, it’s fine. Judged on personal preference, I’ll never need to buy this again.

I don’t remember writing an NBS review cranky, but I’m not changing things now.

Though the name of the beer is called equinox, and neither vernal nor autumnal is specified, I’m making an executive decision. Pair with Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring.

 

Been waiting since Thursday to have the opportunity to crack open one of my Tree House growlers. The beer that I am enjoying for the first time (and probably last) is Curiosity Fifteen. It is a 7.1% IPA and the description from the Tree House crew is..."Our burst of Curiosity is showing no signs of slowing down..! Primarily featuring a massive dose of Columbus hops, with complimentary additions of Amarillo and Mosaic, Fifteen pours a brilliant hazy orange in the glass with a dense, creamy, and aromatic head. We experience flavors and aromas of intense red grapefruit, pungent tropical fruit, and dank herbs. The finish is dry yet soft, encouraging your palate to want more. A bit of a trouble maker, this one. . . !"

I could throw some adjectives into that description, but this is exactly what this beer tastes like. I get huge citrus notes on the nose, which mostly consist of grapefruit and orange. The taste yields much of the same. Nice bitterness on the backside which reminds me that this is more than fruit juice. The finish is very dry, and I've probably had this beer in the glass for about 10 minutes and I'm more than halfway through. I think it's safe to say that this growler will be gone before I know it.

I've had the luxury of having one or two of Tree House's Curiosity series and I can say that if they put any of these beers into their regular rotation (especially cans) they could make a living off of these beers alone. I can't see another brewery in New England except for maybe Hill Farmstead and Trillium hitting on every hop-forward beer they make. Tree House absolutely cannot miss and Curiosity Fifteen is a prime example of that. Outstanding beer.