New Beer Sunday (week 535)

Martha and I are going to be in Asheville from 6/11 to 6/14 for our 34th Anniversary. I well know the lay of the land, but perhaps some nice soul would like to share a beer at some point in that frame. We're staying downtown, walking, eating, and registering time well. Just let me know.

 

Good afternoon NBS! I have a few new beers lined up for today, the first is a bourbon barrel aged coffee porter to start my day right. Heavy Seas Blackbeard's Breakfast.

4.13/5 rDev +2.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

22 oz bottle poured into a tulip

A- Black with a three finger mocha head.

S- Roasted coffee, espresso, bourbon, some vanilla, some caramel Malta and chocolate.

T- Roasted coffee, dark fruits, some bourbon, some chocolate and vanilla.

M- Smooth, medium body.

O- Alcohol is very well hidden, pretty easy drinking for a 10% bourbon barrel aged coffee porter

 

Good afternoon NBSers. I'm usually good for 1-2 of these per month. Today I had such a great New Beer I had to share. @RichD sent me this beer as part of a larger northeast hoppy package recently.



It pours a wonderful yellow color that is great to look at. It has perhaps one of the more pineapple forward smell I've encountered in a beer. It's one of those you can just sit and smell for a long time. It's taste was more mango than pineapple but it was just so juicy and wonderful. He sent me two cans and while normally I send any additional offerings I receive to others to share the wealth the second can is all mine!

4.33/5

 

Hello, NBS! I'm pairing the beer to the weather today as it is absolutely gorgeous out. A good friend (and fellow beer lover) was visiting family in Boston last week and just had to make a short drive up to Vermont He said most of the locals in Montpelier were drinking this. Of course some managed to come back to Cleveland with him.

This is certainly worthy of its 100pt score.
4.45/5 rDev -2.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

16oz can dated 4/27/15 poured into a SN/DFH IPA glass
A: Light orange, slightly hazy, a steady stream of tiny bubbles and a smooth, creamy two-finger head that lingers on and on
S: Tropical fruit, orange zest, white grapefruit and an herbal/grassy note
T: Bold. The grass and herbs are forward here along with pine and citrus zest. A hint of tropical fruit towards the finish
M: Medium-bodied, crisp and dry
O: This is very good. My only slight complaint is the herbs on the palate are a bit overpowering compared to the fruit notes but it's still a delicious beer to sip and highly recommended

Cheers!

 

Hope your trip went well!

 

We definitely enjoyed our foray to Western NC in April and will likely find our way back, but not that soon. I have not considered reaching out to fellow BAs when planning beercations, but it sounds like it could be fun. So maybe next time we head to NC, I'll see if there is potential to share a beer. Cheers!

 

Happy NBS to all, and to all a happy NBS. Firstly, I'd like to thank any Active, Discharged, Retired, etc., service members and wish them Happy Memorial Day and Thank You!! Take a minute today to look at the American flag and appreciate.
Today in North of Boston is GORGEOUS! Went out this AM to plant some roses, cut the lawn, and tend to my ever growing hops. Lowes was super busy today so have a feeling am not the only one to spend the day digging holes and beautifying the ground. Now on to the beer.
Today is a style that I am learning to appreciate. I'm good with the intro to the style of Sours, just don't give me the huge beers of this style. I'm having Weyerbacher Tarte Nouveau, a 3.9% session sour. Pours golden in color with slight head into my Mad Elf snifter glass. Definitely tangy, maybe sour apple? It is refreshing and light which is needed for today. Not winning me over to the style, but not making me run away from it either. The 'pucker-ness' is there and lingering into the finish.
I do feel good about myself for expanding my taste horizons and not just sticking to the hop bombs I've come to crave. However, up next will be a hop bomb, because I deserve it!
Happy NBS, and Happy Memorial day!!
Cheers

 

It took me a while to ‘click’ but if you are looking for more of a traditional Kolsch beer you would likely prefer to drink the new Victory Kuhl Kolsch which is part of the Victory summer variety pack. I reviewed Kuhl Kolsch here: http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/new-beer-sunday-week-532.287689/#post-3606946

Cheers!

 

Great start Dave!!! I MUST contribute something worthy. Be back later.

 

mee too. he usually posts later on like me.

 

This brew pours a mostly opaque copper color with a white one finger head which lasts for a while. There is good carbonation and light to moderate lacing.

The smell is heavy on grapefruit and orange. There is some pine as well as a malty, bready smell but the hops dominate.

The taste follows the nose with the grapefruit tasting hops dominating, a bit overwhelming for a beer that bills itself as a Pale Ale and not an IPA. There is also, orange, lemon and pine with a bready, caramel malt backbone present from beginning to end. The finish leaves some hop oil on the tongue.

Overall this is a good beer, it is well balanced albeit a bit stronger than your average Pale Ale but that is what I have come to expect from Deschutes.

 

"Is the beer a pleasure to drink"- That is the key thing!

 

Been sitting on this for a short while after picking it up in Indiana. Bottled 12/11/14.

Nose is slightly fruity in what seems a cherry kind of way. Flavor is fairly sweet. Mild barnyard funkery going on. Very mild. Seems a touch of lactic edge here. It's a very easy beer to drink and it comes together well. But for the price point, and the effort it took to get this, I would hope for a bit more punch and excitement. It's always interesting to try a beer made with wine grapes though.

 

New Am. Pale Wheat Ale Sunday

Greetings NBSer's,
And wishing you all a great start to the long summer ahead (earliest Memorial Day start and latest Labor Day finish). Thanks for the good get go and return of @cavedave. Also a special thanks for those who sacrificed much more than I'll ever give for this American Experiment.
Just as adulthood doesn't start at 18 years old, the empty nest doesn't start with graduation of youngest child from high school. Nonetheless, we acknowledged this right of passage of my youngest this weekend with a family affair yesterday and we are spending much of today cleaning up the mess. Somehow nothing seems all that different.
I wish I had a warmer day to sample this beer as it seems to hit the spot quite well for a warm weather drink. (Today is cloudy and damp). The clever name works too - a beer to drink while checking off the work list from the spouse - and the melon attributes. A real solid take on style.
I see there is some "natural flavor" added which imply's a melon flavor. That explains the sweetness. I still like it. Well done.
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/29402/119691/?ba=garymuchow

Best to all.

 

Happy NBS. It is grey and raining here so I decided to drink my New Holland Blue Sunday.

S - Big tart fruit, unripe green plum, sour berry, and good oak barrel scent. Light oak and caramel notes.

T - Starts off very tart with unripe green plum, sour berries, and hints of cherry. Borders on extreme tartness, but there is some light lingering sweetness, like caramel in there.

M - Nice carbonation and a light to medium mouthfeel with lingering tart on the tongue.

O - I think New Holland did a marvelous job with this sour and I really enjoyed it.

 

So my second new beer this Sunday comes courtesy of @clake

Captain's Daughter DIPA



Would you just look at that head, full of life, vigor and bravado. Receding head leaves behind a textbook example of dutiful lacing. Beneath this flawless top o' the beer performance lie a murky off-orange, translucent beverage. Nose takes off on a pine adventure with maybe some earthy funk and floral qualities. Taste follows up with bright floral attacks with that same pine from the nose. Other qualities on the tongue include just a hint of citrus that seemingly expands the longer you let it linger in the mouth. As a matter of mouth feel and finish, we are firmly planted in the house of bitter without sweetness, astringency or any other typical flaw of a DIPA. This one really is remarkable in it's craftsmanship.

 

Afternoon all you NBsers and happy MD to all. Please take a minute to thank all or salute the flag for all those who have served and continue to serve so that we have the freedom to taste all these great beers.
Thank You @cavedave for the startup again.
There are certain beings that are rarely seen to man. So much so that people are not sure they even exist: Yeti, The Loch Ness Monster, Abominable Snoman to name a few. Fortunately there was a sighting in my yard today that has enabled me to get some extra relaxing time in. Its called the "21 Year Old Lawn Cutter". ( See Pic). Some of you my be familiar with the elusive being. Its a beautiful thing actually when it emerges.
Anyhow that's enough of that. Time to go out of the box and try something from one of my favorite breweries but a style I'm not familiar with. Being a lager lover had to give it a shot
Jacks Abby Berliner Style Lager
Wonderful fluffy white head that leaves a thin cap with spotty lacing. Hazy very pale straw color. Bubbles are tiny barely noticeable.
Beautiful aroma of lemon , bready yeast, fresh cut grass( oops) citrus blossoms. Hint of clove.
Tart green apple, citrus, pineapple, wheat bread, clove. Tastes like sunshine. Sour but not in the traditional style sense.
Tiny bubbles like sparkling wine or fine cider. Very dry and thirst quenching.
A very tasty warm weather beer. The low alcohol 3.5 % had no bearing on my enjoyment of this.
The beer was not super sour and there was a fantastic aroma. I'd buy again when in the mood.
I can't compare to the style but I'd love to hear what some of you lager people think. (You know who you are)
Have a great day and week. And as always thanks for listening !

 

So our plans were made and led us to a local brewery. Our old asses were enjoying the "blue plate special" crowd (re: not crowded), until two HUGE parties showed up. Now this place is hopping. The brewery is Adrot Theory and they are a pseudo-DFH of its generation, so to speak. They are still in the "no two beers are the same" mentality, but as you see here, they might be learning that only gets you so far.

The girlfriend and I shared version 2.0 (hmmmm - lawsuit upcoming) of their G/I/A/A (God is an American) and B/A/Y/S (Black as Your Soul), IIPA (IIIPA?) and Imperial Stout, respectively:


We have had the v1.0 versions, which I rated straight 4 and 3.75, originally. Both added a few %age points ABV in the upgrade. The GIAA almost lived up to its original rating, the BAYS did not.

The GIAA is fairly balanced, hops having to counter flavor and ABV. Beer seems more pitted fruit in its taste profile, but some pine comes through eventually. The BAYS just does not seem to fit the Imperial Stout category, in taste or body (feel was actually there). It's an ok dark ale or light Porter (taste, not ABV).

As a bonus, I took some quick notes on samplers we had:


From left-to-right (as if it mattered):
Thumbscrews (w/Burial Brewing) - Black IPA:
Asian spice notes are noticeable, as advertised. Taste has them as well, but very piney/juniper and grapefruit rind flavors over nutty base. Strange, but interestingly ok.

Black Flag Empire - Black Saison:
Nose floral, mild yeast esters. Taste abut thin, but tannins and from Cabernet Franc barrels I assume it was aged in give brewery description. Kind of forgettable.

Ortolan Bunting (Bourbon BA) - Strong Ale:
Have had the base beer before. This shows off the bourbon barrel in the nose, a little chocolate behind it. Taste also highlights the barrel-aging, but also seems to hide the base beer, rock candy and cola notes.

Bloody Roots - Imperial Brown:
"Spicy Bloody Mary inspired" - nose is chocolate caramel and nut (hazelnut) in nature. Taste is smooth and mildly sweet, little nutty. But the spice does come on and takes over the taste. Somehow, even though the bite is strong compared to many chile beers, it works quite well in this beer

Now I feel like @superspak .

 

I never post two new beers on New Beer Sunday but I actually had two NEW beers. Switchback Citra-Pils was released for the first time in May 2015. A Vermont brewery that sells all of its beer in 22 ounce bombers for under $5 a bottle almost every time. Cannot argue with that. This is a Keller lager, which is an old German style pilsener. 5.1% ABV.

Yellow, slightly cloudy pour with lots of white, foamy head. It had an aroma of pale malts and yeast but I liked the flower garden profile I also picked up. Helped it feel mellow and inviting. The body was medium or maybe a bit heavier. The taste was also very toasty and malty with a mild sweetness and a low bitterness. It finishes clean and crisp. I found it to be quite tasty.