New Beer Sunday (week 540)

@Roguer s NBS BIF #2 Sunday

The boxes have landed from our second Bitchslap It Forward, so today should be fun.
This cold, rainy, dreary weather is going to lead to a lot of beer being consumed. Actually, I guess I would do that if it were nice. I will just be more grumpy.

You will probably see several Hill Farmstead reviews in the following weeks thanks to Rog.
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/22511/85523/
4.29/5 rDev -6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

It has that east coast look to it. Very cloudy, pale orange color with a bright white puffy head. The cap is not as big on mine as some of the other descriptions I have read, and disappears very quickly. I did open it a day past their best by date though.


Aromas are somewhat sour orange. Juicy and piney hops that have just a hint of medicinal/green to them. Kind of musty.

Taste like a combination of multiple fruits. Orange, pineapple, mango, grapefruit with orange being dominant. The sourness carries through from the aroma. It is grapefruit tart. The hops really seem subdued at first, but they keep creeping up on you toward the end with a piney finish and a bitterness that just keeps building. It is a lingering bitterness though. Very smooth. I dont notice any alcohol. Nicely balanced.

I like the feel of it overall, but this is where I have my biggest complaint. I dont know if they use some sort of Belgian yeast, or variation of in all of their beers, but it is a bit crisp and sparkling to me. Actually more like brets. Not a fan of that aspect, but if you take that away, it is a great texture. Full without being filling. Much like Heady and Sip of Sunshine.

A fantastic ipa. The balance of flavors is world class.


I sacrificed in order to save this one for NBS



Off to the smoker. I dry rubbed some of these yesterday. Going to throw some baked beans and bacon in there too.

Apple wood is the choice today

 

I meant to include notes for the other beers that have already perished from the BIF

14th Star Brewing Maple Breakfast Stout
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/31551/101164/?ba=WesMantooth

Hill Farmstead Susan
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/22511/86487/?ba=WesMantooth

Also, one I picked up on my own that is very noteworthy for you pilsner fans
Fat Head's Jack Straw
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/19544/116225/?ba=WesMantooth

 

Good morning all NBS followers and also all my NBS BIF participants as today is the day to drink all our wonderful new beers My many thanks once again to my sender @strohme2 for the great beers from MI. It's a pretty soggy day here in NH so it will be a great day for testing these beers.
My first beer of the day comes from Short's Brew and is a colab with Half Acre Brewing and is there Freedom of 78 an IPA brewed with pink Guava.

These beer poured a darker reddish orange color perhaps from the added pink guava and had a noticeable smell of guava as even as it was poured slowly into my glass.
The guava was the most prominent smell with a slight hint of a floral nature.
The guava was actually not overpowering in the taste but a pleasant fruity taste to this IPA. I of course do like grapefruit IPA's also so maybe it's just a style I like in IPA's.
All in all this was a better than average beer in my book. Would I have chosen it off the shelf myself probably not but am glad that @strohme2 did and shared it with me. My only problem now is how I'm going to get a few more of these because it was a very pleasing beer with a nice guava flavor but it didn't overpower the beer itself. My rating for this beer was a 4.19
I have a bunch more beers to add today so I'll be back later on with number 2 from the box.

 

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/26624/91003/

C&Ps out of the way. G'day NBS faithful!

The above is an English(style) IPA using wild yeast. It's from Spain. It doesn't hit the spot. The strong Brett smell and taste wasn't the deciding factor as I've had one from the UK that I really dug. Flama didn't let anything else shine. Too one dimensional. Oh well, it gave me another chance to post on this wonderful thread, eh?

Cheers from a rather hottish morning in Casper Wyoming!

 

This is my problem. This is why I can't build up a respectable cellar. Why must I drink all of my ageable candidates? Why do they tempt me so? Oh well..

For this NBS, I am enjoying this badass offering from those terrible Texans at Jester King - Black Metal Farmhouse Imperial Stout.

From the bottle: Black Metal Farmhouse Imperial Stout, a.k.a. Iron Sword, a.k.a. Blackened Death, a.k.a. El Martillo del Muerte. Black Metal is a cruel and punishing brew fermented by the sheer force of its awesome will. Best enjoyed while pumping out blast beats, summoning trolls, or enjoying a nice leisurely reading of the Necronomicon.



My Review: Big bottle into a snifter. Pours dark brown and settles black in the glass. The first pour from the bottle yielded a 2.5 finger head of tan, crunchy foam. Interesting aroma - definite notes of yeast and sourness like a wild ale. This smell is quite evenly balanced with underlying notes of chocolate, roasted malt, and a slight hint of alcohol. Medium weight with a surprisingly carbonated mouthfeel. This beer feels incredibly lively on the palate, much like a wild ale. Tart cherries and sour notes up front with undertones of roasiness. This one stays pretty tart all the way through, and finishes crisp. On the back end, you start seeing those notes of charred wood, chocolate, and coffee. The aftertaste is a pleasant blend of sourness and choclate.

I've been wanting to crack this beer for a while now, and I couldn't wait any longer. I had high expectations for this beer, and for the most part it didn't disappoint. Luckily I am a fan of wild ales as well as imperial stouts, because while this beer is called a "russian imperial stout", it's not. It's a sour that has roasty/choclatey undertones. Aside from labels, though, it's an excellent beer. Very well-balanced, and surpringinly easy to drink. I can't believe this beer is north of 9% abv, honestly. You can't taste a bit of booziness.

Overall, a bit off-center, but I imagine that's what they were going for. Damn good blending of two styles that I never would've thought would mesh.

Look: 4.5
Smell: 4.25
Taste: 4
Feel: 4
Overall: 4.25

Weighted score: 4.14 (+3.8% rDev)

 

My tiny nugget of info about Terreux is that Bruery started the label to cover all of their wild ales. The recipes are still the same. P.S. Love, love, love Sour in the Rye.

 

Hey NBS-ers! Off to work in a minute, but I think I'm gonna crack open a SoT Gemini later & see what I can see. Looks like some great brews here on NBS today, can't wait to get caught up & see what everyone has to say about their tasty new beers!

Cheers!

 

That's a great name. I feel like starting a band called Jaguar Shark.

 

A Spanish English IPA with Brett? While it may have been a disappointment to you, you may have submitted the most unusual beer today. I'd call it a win with caveats.

 

Nah. It sounds more like a crappy movie on SYFY.

 

Have to head outside and get some yard work in, but wanted to get at least one post from the BIF in before I do...

Diving head first into my BIF box FROM @larryi86 that landed on my doorstep Thursday afternoon.

Based on a glowing recommendation from @gatheredwaters, I started immediately with Larry's home brew (Fibonacci) as soon as it cooled in the fridge.



A juicy and hazy DIPA with beautiful aromas and flavors. Quite a bit better than most DIPA on the market today. Very well done! In fact, it reminds me in some ways to the next beer from the box from Tired Hands.

Working now on the howler of Tired Hands - Alien Church. My first beer from Tired Hands, and if they are all like this, it will not be my last. Big tropical fruit aromas and flavors. A hop explosion you would normally find in a big DIPA. This one could easily pass for an alcoholic version of pineapple juice. A winner in my book.



http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/28383/113140/?ba=richj1970

 

It actually reminds me of a band I used to hear of making the regional rounds called Bear vs. Shark. I think they were Portland-based, but I'm not sure.

It could also work for a car. Jaguar could bring out some sort of sleek supercar called that. It'd have to be a sportscar, though, not a plush touring sedan type.

 

I've just discovered a horrible injustice in some of my recent posts! My sender in the recent NBS BIF #2 was @richj1970, not @Rich1970 as I have been typing it. Ah, the difference a single letter can make! Rich, I'm sorry I haven't been giving you proper credit for all the fantastic 'Bamer and Vol beers you sent me. And to the other Rich, welcome aboard!

 

Good morning, BAs ! It's a beautiful, sunny, and much cooler day here in the north Charlotte area, and I'm happy as Torgo with a new hand to be here for this week's New Beer Sunday ! I must admit that I'm a feeling a little hollow and disoriented this morning. Not because of all the Little Sumpin' Sumpin' and Zombie Dust I partook of last night, but from the IQ-draining effects of last night's WBAYDN/MST3K simul-viewing of "Manos : The Hands of Fate" ! That was a hell of a lot of fun, and I look forward to the next one !

This week's offering is a brew that's been around for a while, but one I just haven't crossed paths with until last week : Founder's Brewing Devil Dancer Triple IPA. Bottled on 5/5/15, 12.0% abv, poured from a 12 oz. bottle into my trusty tulip.



Appearance : Pours an ever-so-slightly opaque deep copper color, with tiny but persistent carbonation creating a loose 1/2" off-white head. Minor lacing retention in the glass. (4/5)

Smell : I get toasted malty goodness, and a slight sense of hop bitterness mixed with a tiny bit of clove. At 12% abv, the alcohol is waving a little flag that says, "Welcome to Boozeville, drop your car keys and your pants, in that order." (3.75/5)

Taste : First, there is a heavy malt sweetness not unlike that when cotton candy melts in your mouth, followed by a licorice or anise-tinged bitterness from the hops and a wallop of boozy alcohol at the end. It's bitter, to be sure, but the 'Triple IPA' on the label had me expecting more...something in that department. (4/5)

Feel : Medium density, with a creamy and slightly syrupy mouthfeel. (3.75/5)

Overall : Maybe it's because of the 12% abv, or maybe it's the residual Manos mind-fry, but I'm having a little difficulty fully assessing this one right now. Founder's makes some great brews, and I'm sure this will have both its' fans and detractors, but I kind of think they should have labeled this one a barleywine. I was hoping for something with more complexity in the hops department, but I'm glad I tried it, and I think it's worth giving it a whirl. It would be interesting to taste it again after it aged a year or two to see how it might unfold. (3.75/5)

Total score : 3.87 (-0.8% rDev)

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1199/17538/?ba=Hopportunistic

Cheers, everyone, and Happy NBS !!!!!

 

Good morning, fellow NBSers & thanks to @utopiajane for starting us off right,

It's 80 degrees at 0822 in the city where the world's largest 3-on-3 basketball tournament is taking place, and which is probably right now the epicenter of heat stroke incidents this weekend. Normally, the average high around here this weekend would be around 80. Yesterday it hit 103 and today it's supposed to hit 106. Not exactly optimum weather for playing basketball on asphalt surrounded by concrete buildings. Oh, and the Ironman Triathalon is happening today a little drive east of here along/in Lake Coeur d'Alene. I suspect the various volunteer EMT types will be busy, and an enterprising businessperson could have a good day scalping bottled water.

I'm currently drinking the last of the day's coffee. The importance of this to me cannot be overstated. For the last week, first for dental reasons, then for recovery from dental work reasons, I've not been able to drink the drink that gets me moving in the morning, so I'm savoring the living crap out of this. I've also had to be sparing about what I eat for the same reasons. After a week of yogurt, powdered breakfast drinks and applesauce, meat will be back on the menu with some crock pot carnitas being consumed tonight.

Soon enough it will be beer, as this is the great NBS BIF day, and I've got a lot on deck from the great @LehighAce06 for possible consumption. My biggest problem will be what to start off with...First World Problems.

 

I was lying in bed and wasn't necessarily ready to start drinking....until I saw all the NBS/BIF posts from folks like @BullDoza @smanson56 @Roguer @kemoarps @WesMantooth @Prager62 @richj1970 and felt like I was behind the ball. I came downstairs for the bachelor's breakfast (granola, OJ and a beer).

It was fun to drink OJ right before my beer because I find that Rushing Duck's War Elephant shares similarities with OJ.



Here's my review:

4.3/5 rDev -0.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Served from a growler into a snifter. This beer arrived courtesy of cavedave and a New Beer Sunday Beer It Forward.

Pour produced lots of frothy, blanket-like foam. White and and marshmallow-like. I could ladle this out. Lace is everywhere. The body is a cloudy copper and gold combination. It glows beautifully. 5

The smell is potent enough that as I write this the aroma wafts my way. There's a pronounced orange and grapefruit aroma with underlying mango. Tropical would be an apt term here. A bit of that cat pissiness. Sweet malt becomes more noticeable. Very nice aroma. 4.25

Sweeter than expected. A considerable but still light malt presence provides a vanilla or caramel sweetness. Mid-palate the citrusy zest of orange and grapefruit slide in. It's definitely got some OJ qualities going on. 4.25

This is a burlier beer. Plenty of malt body and the accompanying sweetness but there's also plenty of hop bite. And it's still quite juicy and refreshing. There's a slight floral quality before a mellow but lingering bitter exit. 4.25

This is great. A very under-the-radar IPA.


For those not in the know, Rushing Duck is a brewery in Chester, NY which is "upstate" for NYC folk. I frequent NYC often (including in a few days when I head out) and I've always wanted to do a Rushing Duck, Peekskill, Captain Lawrence, Newburgh brewery crawl. @cavedave sending me this box just gives me more reason to:



A growler of Rushing Duck's Duck Duck Whale
A growler of Rushing Duck's War Elephant
Grimm Super Going gose
MBC Mean Old Tom
Chatham Brewing Bourbon Barrel Brown

Thanks to those that participated and allowed me to participate in the NBS BIF, it was a lot of fun and a great experience.

 

Or the sharks from this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_...dia/File:Deep_Blue_Sea_(1999_film)_poster.jpg

IIRC, some of the sharks were actually striped ridiculously similar to big cats. Laughably bad film that is crying out for it's own drinking game, with the saving grace of featuring what for me is one of the all-time unintentionally(?) funny scenes, when Sam Jackson meets his demise.