New Beer Sunday (week 540)

That's exactly the idea I was going for. I'm a MST3K noob, I mean I knew about it for years, but I've only seen random episodes at random times. Good beer or bad beer, I always try to at least find some kind of theme. Will look forward to the next event.

 

Not at all. Just taking a break from reviewing. No changes.

 

Well, after that "breakfast beer" the mercury rose, and so did my desire for something hoppy!!!
So, again, thanks to the generosity of @Prager62 I'm battling the temps with this:

Alien Einstein by Short's Brewing
3.96/5 rDev +4.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Thanks to @Prager62 for this golden gem

Pours a golden swirl that pushes forth a tight, active finger-and-a-half off-white foam that settles to a consistent half inch cover.
Smell bursts with grapefruit and key lime zest that hints at a bitterness (on the 3rd inhale).
First taste is slightly earthy bitterness, then goes straight to grapefruity goodness. BOOM! This is the perfect beer to be drinking on this hot day. So crisp, so citrusy. I could do 5 more.
Feel is spot on for a lager, but I keep on thinking of this as a pale ale.
Finish leaves you wanting to click-click the back of your tongue. Some breadiness comes through ever so lightly as the grapefruit mellows.
This is what I would call "sessionable."

Time to get back to work. I gotta justify cracking amother beer.

 

So, I see this is on YouTube, but it's hosted by one of our own? How does it work?

 

Happy New Belgian Strong Pale Ale Sunday!

Pretty hot (if you want to call it that) 100 today, sunny in Northern Utah. Been quite awhile since I've last had something from this brewery (I like it). Hopefully there will be more available .

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16866/53134/?ba=Wasatch

Cheers!

 

I'll second that and think I might have a 2012 and 2013 gathering dust in the cellar to help that problem out

 

Yes, YouTube is the answer. You just watch it there at the exact time that it is set up for as per Beer Advocate. You drink your beer and comment on the film, quote lines, etc on the WBAYDN post. Well, that's what I did, I hope I did it right

 

Haha yup, you did it right! You also just explained everything way more concisely (eg: better) than I was about to :-)

 

Yeah, I thought that was pretty much coated with awesomesauce, too. I had a Prof. at the University of Idaho many years go who'd played in college against Jerry West, but I think (with all due respect to the symbol of the NBA) @rgordon has trumped him.

 

Grabbed a few beers in a mix-a-six to try, and the first one I shared with the GF was Smuttynose Old Brown Dog Ale. I am in that camp of BAs that think the small beer industry would benefit from a slight re-definition of the brown ale to bring some depth to the style. I say this because one of my first few homebrews was a brown ale and even though it had many flaws, I am sure, I thought it was a tasty version that showed the nutty nature of the barley used. If I can do that just throwing some ingredients together, I'd have to think that real brewers would be up to the task. (Note to self: start homebrewing again, it's actually a lot of fun!!)



Okay, let me double check: label says brown ale; BA says brown ale;

Me: GF, what do you think about this beer?
GF: It's ok, but it seems alcohol-ly to me. Sorta.
Me (thinking I know what she means): alcohol-ly? really?
GF: well...
Me: try it again and tell me. I don't get alcohol much.
GF: ok, yeah, not alcohol, but it's like that taste... like a barleywine (which you know I associate with being alochol-ly)
Me: bingo!

Confirmation to what I said in my review, this looked, smelled, and even to a degree tasted like a barleywine. Granted, we are consuming this barely within the best by date, but I was not expecting this. It definitely wasn't as strong and deep as a barleywine, and some nutty notes and British-style bitter agents became noticeable, but if I wasn't searching for them, I am not sure I would've found them. Definitely need to retry this a bit fresher.

Half a beer went down fast, so bonus beer:


Flying Dog Brewhouse Rarities series Sriracha Pale Ale. We bypassed Rogue's version, but I had to fill out a six pack, and this was interesting enough. Pours nice orange side of golden, almost a little red tinge to it. Clear with smattering of surface head, the nose is a tad weak, but gives off a bit of an impression of chile. After a few sips, this basically reminded me of their Dead Rise beer, at least in base beer. Where the Dead Rise adds the saltiness and earth/spice of Old Bay, this only adds light earthy/vegetal notes and the slightest bit of heat. It's actually a fine pale ale, and like most chile beer, the peppers grow on you, but it's nothing amazing.

(Edit: haha, just read @smakawhat's review after writing a quick one myself. His final statement nailed my thoughts: "Comes out more basic pale ale than anything with a little bit of pepper, and really doesn't even taste much like sriracha at all strangely". Note, the heat finally did pick up near the end of my pour).

 

Haven't been joining as of late as I either didn't have anything new or didn't find anything worthy of trying.
Glad to see fellow BA's enjoying the labor of @WesMantooth and @richj1970. Have traded with these two guide a few times (though not part of this BIF ) and they sent some great beers!
Dropped into my local shop yesterday looking for some worthy new stuff and this doesn't let me down

Pours a light yellow, almost like champagne.
The nose is everything I'd expect of a German bier.
Nice crisp mouthfeel, again, slightly like champagne.
As I sit here watching golf, and browsing the threads, between the nose and taste of this beer, each sip of this takes me back to Berlin or Frankfurt. And it's not a vague memory...it's like I'm right there. Just like this bier.
Sehr gut Augustiner, sehr gut.
Prost!!

 

Looks like the BIF is making for a busy NBS, already on the fifth page. Hope everyone is having a good Sunday, I went to a local ice cream festival this afternoon and now it time to dig into my box of goodies! First up August Schell Cypress Blanc, a dry Berlin style American lager, thank you @garymuchow for this one!

4.29/5 rDev +2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Thank you garymuchow for this
500 ml bottle dated Oct 2014 poured into a teku

A- A hazy bright golden straw color with a big white head the that disappears quickly.

S- Sour, lemons, citrus, some berries, some oak, mild funk, some wheat.

T- Sour lemons, citrus, lacto, wheat, wood, a little bready, nice earthy/spicy funk, a lot less sour and more complex than the nose lets on.

M- Smooth, crisp, dry, light body.

O- A very nicely Berliner. With using the lager yeast along with the lacto and brett and the cyress foude make this a unique sour worth trying. Would love to try the fruit versions.

 

Nice level of spice and sweetness (8.5 % abv) coming through. Citrus taste loud and clear. Very enjoyable.

 

It's now officially at least 100 degrees in the city in eastern Washington and the western foothills of the Rockies that spawned Father's Day and at least one serial killer. Just got off the phone with the male portion of the parental units and found out my new niece and her mother are about to be sprung from the maternity wing of whatever-the-name of Olympia's hospital is, which is apparently located in a semi-underground, bunkerish portion of the building that impairs cell phone reception. I have high hopes of finally being able to convey my congratulations to my brother personally tonight, as he's been maintaining a vigil there for about 5 days now.

My second - and as any good sense would have it - last beer of NBS is a 32oz crowler from one @LehighAce06's home state of Pennsylvania that is best described as a coffee oatmeal imperial stout, and is ridiculously..."smooove."

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/18316/86026/?ba=woemad

Velvety... coffee-ey... subtly boozy ( I used "subtly" in jest as an adjective earlier, but mean it in all seriousness this time), this would be a great breakfast beer on a morning when faced with no responsibilities whatsoever, or as a nightcap.

After 32oz of an 11% beer, plus a 6.5% saison consumed earlier, any further utterances I make should be read that I'm kinda drunk. Bear that in mind as you read any further posts from me this NBS! Thanks again, Kevin for a hopefully(?) memorable NBS!

 

I've taken up paying more attention to re-reviewing beers I have had in the past. That is to say at least reading them as I am having them again and verifying or WTFing my own reviews. I hear you on taking time to sit back and buy/drink/enjoy brews you actually enjoy, starting to round that long corner myself; there's just so many good brews coming out all the time... . Second @Roguer in hoping you continue to stop by NBS. Speaking of...

Haha - think you nailed the description of style for me. One of the first few vinyl records I bought and though I thoroughly love the album, the inside artwork was mildly... disconcerting . At least it had a message .