New Beer Sunday (week 541)

Another beer I just recently had, 2nd in today's NBS. My first couple sips of this when it was pretty cold had me thinking it was pretty piney-bitter. Warmth seemed to balance it out with some tropical notes. Agree with you that it's a decent middle of the road IPA, but I thought it was missing a definitive flavor profile to grab onto.

Edit: @2beerdogs - count me in for a July birthday .

 

Tom,

My recommendation for your next AAL review is Yuengling Lord Chesterfield Ale (and yes it is an AAL). I would be intrigued to hear your thoughts about this beer.

Cheers!

Jack

P.S. I would suggest a canned version but a bottled version stored well (dark) would be good as well.

 

Interesting you'd suggest that.

I did get a sixer about 5-6 years ago and reviewed it then but have been thinking the few months that its to revisit that one (and some of the other early reviews) but at that time I did think it was a cut above the AALs I've been sampling lately. I often revisit some of the beers reviewed the first couple of years after I began doing reviews to post on here and have been meaning to do that one again.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/182/2842/?ba=drtth#navigation

 

I'll repeat myself a bit here, but it seems that the AALs that I have found enjoyable have all shown their hops- and that list does include Lord Chesterfield. I think it really drives home the old brewers saying that "hops are the seasoning of beer". Without those hops, most AALs come across as an unseasoned dish.

 

Next up, the traditional saison from Prairie. I absolutely LOVED this.



4.4/5 rDev +8.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Look: golden straw, cloudy, 2+ fingers of white head.

Smell: lots of Belgian funk - LOADS of Belgian funk. Grassy aromas complement the funk.

Taste: the funk smacks you upside the head 3 times - then twice more for good measure. Grassy flavors, pilsner malt, wheat malt - this is truly exceptional.

Feel: bubbly like a saison should be, dry, but not overly dry. Very refreshing - and it's 8.2% ABV.

Overall: this is a world-class saison, IMHO. I love the style in the summer when it's hot and muggy, and Prairie crushed this.

 

Happy New American Porter Sunday!

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/34964/160101/?ba=MadCat
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/34964/?view=ratings&ba=MadCat

So sorry I have missed a couple weeks here, some days were too busy for new beer, some were on vacation without new beer available. In fact, I'm on vacation again amd wasn't planning on a new beer this week! Imagine my surprise when my brother suggested a Mexican Italian place. Thank god I saw it on BA before we left so I knew it was a brewpub too. What an odd combo, but the Mexican food was fairly good, and I enjoyed the Bourbon Vanilla Porter. Sorry, no pics, just imagine a standard pint glass with standard looking porter with no head. I enjoyed that it still tasted like porter, instead of a beery bourbon. Didn't get a whole lot of vanilla from it, but I never do, but at least here I notice it some. Glad to be back in the game. Cheers!

 

New American Double/Imperial Stout Sunday

A final greeting NBSer's,
And a late night one for me. Probably a one and only.
I finish tonight deciding with what special beer to complete the Fare The Well concerts and it occurred to me that I still have one beer left from NBS BIF #1. A very special ale from @larryi86 to whom I thank very much.
So I conclude the concerts with a good ol' American Stout!
http://www.beeradvocate.com/user/beers/?ba=garymuchow

Best to all this week.

 

And now what is most likely my last beer of the night, Central Waters Brewer's Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout thanks to @garymuchow, cheers!

4.3/5 rDev +0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Big thanks to garymuchow for this
12 oz bottle, 2014, poured into a tulip

A- Black with a three finger khaki head, nice lacing.

S- Bourbon, chocolate, caramel, vanilla, oak, some dark fruits, pretty sweet.

T- Bittersweet chocolate, caramel, bourbon, vanilla, oak, dark fruits, faint coffee in the finish.

M- Smooth, medium body.

O- A nice bourbon barrel aged stout, body is pretty light for the style. I wouldn't hunt this down, but if I could buy bottles near me I would pick this up every year.

 

Hey everyone, better late than never. I was lucky enough to be invited to an afternoon run out to a couple of breweries in Virginia to enjoy some local libations so I was not able to post earlier. It was enjoyable and so was my New Beer this Sunday:

3 Stars Brewing Co. - Southern Belle (Imperial Brown Ale brewed with pecans)

I have been on a slight brown ale kick lately trying all the different variations of the styles from different breweries, this particular one has a typical dark brown look with a nice tan head that forms with no lacing. The aroma is moderately pleasing with nuts and cocoa but the taste needs some time to develop out of the fridge to be concurrent.



This was quite a pleasant offering from 3 Stars and I wouldn't miss anything by storing a couple of these away for the colder months of the year.




Review :

Poured into a grand snifter glass at 50°F

Appearance: This poured clean, Dark Brown, almost Black with a finger sized head that dissipated quickly and left practically no lacing.

Smell: The nose is roasty, nutty ending with slight airy cocoa and subtle alcohol

Taste: The roasted malts and caramelized sugars blend well with noticeable pecan, cocoa flavor that finishes a little dry and warm with alcohol. Flavors became bolder as it warmed, balancing it a little.

Mouthfeel: The mouthfeel is light to medium bodied and became a little smoother as it warmed.

Overall: A tasty offering from 3 Stars Brewing Co. and pretty much fits the style for Brown Ales as I have come to experience them. Despite the warmer and drier finish the aroma and taste make this a pleasant drinking experience. While I wouldn’t actively seek this out, if it’s readily available I would pick this up again as post-meal or general pleasure. Cheers.

 

Good evening NBS, hope everyone enjoyed their holiday weekend. Thanks @cavedave for starting us off and happy birthday as well! I went home to Ohio for a few days to visit family, rode 57 miles on Friday, and got a nice beer haul today before driving back. A lot more new beer for me!

As with last week this week's NBS is beer from the NBS BIF; and my beers were sent from @beerloserLI. I drank one other during the week, which was the Captain Lawrence Seeking Alpha TIPA, and the review is already posted to my profile.

Onto the beer:

Very nice standard C-hopped American IPA. Aromas and flavors of bright grapefruit, tangerine, lemon zest, orange peel, citrus rind, and pine; with some light caramel/bready malt balance and nice grassy/floral hop earthiness. Moderate pine/grassy bitter finish. Well balanced bitterness with malts; and smooth finish with moderate hop oil stickiness and slight creaminess in the mouthfeel. Very smooth and drinkable for 7.5%; minimal alcohol presence. Thoroughly enjoyed this. 3.9


Very nice single malt IPA. Aromas and flavors of grapefruit, tangerine, pineapple, peach, mango, lemon zest, orange peel, and pine; with some light honey/bready malt balance with herbal/grassy hop earthiness. Good amount of piney/spicy bitterness on the finish. Smooth and sticky/resinous finish with minimal alcohol warming. No complaints other than the aromas being weak. Almost a SMaSH beer. Horizon/Citra hops with pils malt. I originally assumed it would be Horizon for bittering only, but the taste is telling me otherwise. 3.88


Awesome oak aged RIS! Aromas and flavors of huge dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, molasses, toast, toffee, dark bread, vanilla, raisin, plum, fig, oak, and light herbal hops. Light herbal/roast bitter finish; with a great balance and complexity between roasty malt, oak, and fruity English yeast complexity. Good roast malt bitter/sweet balance as well. Nice creamy medium-full body; lightly slick. Smooth sipper, minimal warming finish. Seriously impressed here. Everything I would expect out of the classic English Russian Imperial stout style with added oak complexities. Lovely. 4.2


Great IPA! Big flavors of grapefruit, tangerine, pineapple, peach, mango, lemon/orange zest, and light pine; with moderate malts of honey/bread and floral/grassy hop earthiness. Moderate pine/grassy bitterness with balanced malt sweetness; very smooth and light-moderate creaminess/stickiness in the mouthfeel. Feels very classic to the East coast style of IPA profile. Seriously great beer. 4.1


Strong IPA showing this BIF, but I strongly welcome all styles across the board for BIF #3. Feel free to send me all of the underrated style locals next time and I will still be happy about it. Send me all of your cream ales/Pale wheats etc

Cheers, have a good night NBS!

 

Up next for me is a 4 Hands Brewing Peanut Butter Chocolate Milk Stout. The nose is straight up Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. The taste like the nose is sweet and roasted malts, chocolate, and peanut butter. The mouthfeel is a little thinner than expected, even for a 5.5% brew. However, this is one of the tastier peanut butter beers I've ever tried. Fantastic! Cheers to the U.S. women's soccer team!

 

My first chance trying this. Very pleased!

From the bottle: Medium yellow w/ a bright white head. Good lacing on the glass. The orange peel and coriander are front and center here. Pleasantly balanced between those and the beers wheaty background. Thoroughly enjoyed it...well worth the coin.

 

Late post for me, but I am an hour west of normal. Good win for USA today. Relaxing back at the house after more visits with more hometown friends. Needed a good sipping beer to end the night. Debated pulling the trigger on this one, but figured I'm on vacation, such as it were, so, why not...


I'm a pretty big fan of regular Old Ruffian, although bourbon barrel barleywines are hit or miss. Starting off colder than ideal, this one shows promise, but it really needs to warm to bring out the flavor. The nose is sorta dark cherry with only a hint of bourbon relatively, but a nice scent of oak. The taste follows suit. I think the bourbon, barrel, and age all mellow the base beer.

Unfortunately, it doesn't add much to make up for what it takes away. Yes, there is some bourbon and yes, the woody oak notes are there, but the net of the two ends up in the red, in my opinion.

 

Mission Brewery: Hard Root Beer. 7.5% and tastes just like root beer. Got from my first BA trade as an extra. Thanks Dennis!

 

Nice opening shot at NBS. Please come back @LeperJim if th'at is not to'o routi'ne for you.

 

Wasatch The Devastator Double Bock. Dark beer, very sweet tasting. I started drinking this, thought the abv was around 5.0....shocked it was 8.0. Smooth beer, i would try again.

 

Well I have another from @Prager62 's epic salvo.
Bother Hezekiah by Greenbush in Sawyer, Michigan.

Deep copper to amber hue. Tight off-white head about a finger high. Now it does say "barrel aged" but which barrel is not declared. I'm guessing Bourbon by the nose. Taste is is Bourbon, caramel, sticky charred sugar, and a hint of candied fruit. Also, I'm getting a hint of dry earthy hop, but just a hint. Mouthfeel is a heavier than I expected. Finish is a tad hot, but I'm liking this.
Overall, this drinks more like a BBA Barleywine. One that walks that line between the sweeter English and the hoppier American. Pretty damn good.

This might finish the night for me at 10.6%

 

This is the one beer that was on my bucket list that completely lived up to the hype for me. Pliny and Zombie Dust were great, but Prairie Bomb floored me and remains my absolute favorite beer. I was a little wary of the chilly peppers because admittedly I am a huge wuss when it comes to spices, but I can't for the life of me taste any chili peppers in this beer. I'm sure it's there, but I guess my taste buds are just not picking it up for whatever reason. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it!

 

Good song choice for the whole ALL category.