New Beer Sunday (week 542)

Good morning, NBS folks.

On the road again. Too early for a beer, but I'm also gonna cheat a bit and post a new beer I had at dinner last night - was after midnight when I got back to the hotel, so maybe that counts!?!

My new beer, on draft in a shaker pint glass, is Bells Quinannan Falls lager. This is a hoppy American pale lager, pours a beautiful clear straw yellow with a half inch head. The nose is a muted hoppy floral, and the taste follows suit, with a nice kiss of citrus over a lager bready malt. This reminds me of a little lager brother to Two Hearted - which is nice indeed. At 6.4 ABV, is light and drinkable, a great hot weather beer. Bells, I'm convinced, really knows its business.

Like a lot of you, when I first got into craft a few years ago, I was drawn to the huge beers - big imperial stouts and palate scorching IPAs. I still enjoy those mind-blowing beers, but increasingly I'm finding my way back to the more subtle, quotidian pleasures of lagers, pils, hefes, and light IPA saisons. Which I think are lovely!

Music for the morning - soundtrack of The Harder They Come.

Cheers!

 

Good morning NBS, and thanks to @utopiajane for the Sunday kick off. I hope the heat is turned down in Ithaca.
Sure is warming up here in WMass. We have been enjoying Music and food at the Green river Festival one more day
and another great line up. Today is Kriek day with what may be my favorite to date. Some run a little to sharp, or weighted toward fruit syrup, this however is firing on all cylinders. Off to one more day of music, sun and Berkshire Pils on draft!
Cheers all

Kriek

Brouwerij Hof Ten Dormaal
Fruit / Vegetable Beer / 6.50% ABV

4.31/5rDev n/a | rAvg: 4.16
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 12 oz, bottle into an HF goblet,
A - Hibiscus colored prism of light breaks through this thin cut ruby gem. Aggressive pouring yields a cherry blossom colored quickly settled cap. Ring of exquisitely fine carbonation clings to the edges.
S - Dark cherry, light toasted oak, aged citrus and red grape skin are all up front in a parade of delicate smells. The carbonation level keeps everything suspended well above the goblets rim. With some time the cherry leads by far.
T - Light malts, some grainy elements and oak dance with the cherry. A harmony of the flavors is most pleasant, and a testament to the brewers craft. Enough acidity to engage the grains and wood without the sharper elements. Beautifully executed.
M - Starts with a smooth coating, edges peel away engaging the palate from the sides of the tongue. Layer after layer of acidity, smooth grains and wood exit one by one and leave a dry tart calling card.
O - Quite well constructed, this offering is delicately complex. The use of the fruit, in no way over powers the wonderful grain bill. Acidity is near perfect, and the round feel is simple and exquisite. This is worth seeking out.
Cheers

 

Good morning NBS!

I figured I would start the day early today, because why not. I'm excited that I get to go see one of my favorite musicians tonight, and look forward to being able to enjoy some great music. For those interested, his name is Jason Isbell. I know it's not exactly kosher anymore to post music, but hey I might just break the rules this one time right....

Today I have one of the last beers from my NBS BIF box. Selkirk Abbey's Infidel, a belgian style IPA. (In appropriate glassware thanks to @woemad )



Pour is a nice copper color with a slight head, off white head.

Smell has that characteristic belgian yeast, along with nice notes of citrus. I smell orange, nectarines, maybe some lighter stone fruit like peaches. Some sweet malts on the nose.

Taste begins with a pithy bitterness moving to a citrus and fruit flavor, nicely complemented by its sweet malt backbone. Finish has that yeast flavor again, with a lingering bittersweet flavor.

Mouthfeel is full bodied, but not heavy.

Overall a very nice beer that I am enjoying on this relaxing Sunday.

Cheers!

And here's that video I promised...

 

Another fine Sunday morning. I made blueberry pancakes with fresh berries, a real favorite of mine! I received a nice box of IA beer that I have been enjoying this week. Today I'm enjoying just 1 of 48 bottles produced of this AWA from Madhouse.

S - Aroma of sour overripe tropical fruit and some wet hay funk. A bit of lemon peel along with musty Brett.

T - Dry white wine with some sweet tropical notes. A nice hop bite in the middle add to it nicely. Lemon peel and Brett to give it the right amount of funkiness.

M - Tart with prickly carbonation and a light dry feel.

O - A nice dry hopped AWA and it was quite good. I like the choice of hops because of their citrus and tropical bitter flavors.

 

Ha! I knew those were Tettnang hops! I love those, I just wish there was a bit more aroma this year. I remember last year's as being a touch drier and more fragrant. Still, it's a really enjoyable beer.

I may be featuring this beer in a tasting today- if I do I'll be sure to put a heads-up in this thread.

Enjoy your Sunday, everybody!

 

Greetings fellow NBSers! A cloudy day here in the Fourth Corner. We had a nice long streak of hot weather come to an end when some wildfires in Canada produced so much smoke that it looked cloudy here in the PNW. The fires have been contained, but now actual clouds have moved in, and it's cooled off considerably.

I haven't participated in NBS much the last few weeks for various reasons, work, lack of an internet connection, and just hanging out with friends being the primary reasons. That will continue today. I am headed down to Seattle, where a bunch of folks from BA are actually going to meet in person. Toronado Seattle is being our kind host, and the beer list looks awesome. I'll be having NBS eligible brews, I'm just not sure I'll get around to sharing them with you. If y'all want to join virtually, or take a peek at the spreadsheet to see who's bringing what, take a look at this thread: http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/seattle-ba-meeting.302746/

Happy NBS everyone, and Cheers!!!

 

Hello everyone, and happy NBS! Today I'm enjoying a The Czar by Avery ... I've had it in my fridge for a month or so, and it was looking a little sad.

Beer #761: The Czar Imperial Stout by Avery

14304B6 on the bottle... bottled 304th day of '14? Batch 6? Not sure. Not a big fan of these sorts of codes... I'm not sure what's wrong with simply putting 103114 on the bottle if that's when it was bottled. Anyway...

Appearance: Poured this into an over-sized Perfect Pint glass. Almost got the whole bottle in the glass, but then the head nearly overflowed. Two finger head goes away pretty quickly, leaving some lacing behind. Nothing but a beige colored ring is left on top. (4.25/5)

Smell: Kind of almost cocoa hoppy... there's a sort of gritty roast aroma with chocolate and earthy and grassy sort of hops. It definitely doesn't smell like some self-proclaimed hoppy stouts out there, and it also doesn't smell like a typical roast-forward imperial stout either. As it warms, a little booziness comes out as well as the usual suspect dark fruits like raisins/dates/etc. Additionally, there is a very slight soy sauce vibe that I get occasionally in the style. (4.25/5)

Taste/feel: Very similar to the smell... a unique imperial stout. Dark fruit sweetness at the front, a slight booziness and roasted malt flavor in the middle, and then a slightly warming, bittersweet, and very dry finish. While the alcohol doesn't taste particularly strong or warm a whole lot, my tongue feels like it's getting hit with a beer that has a much higher amount of alcohol. On some sips I can really taste the hops -- they seem to come through as a little earthy or grassy like in the aroma, but they also seem to have a faint citrus flavor that accents the dark fruits. I mean I could be one of those people who makes things up to make for a more interesting review, but regardless, this is a beer that I feel I could easily pick out of a line-up, it's that different for the style. The feel is a silky-ish with a moderate body and slightly prickly carbonation -- that makes no sense, but the body seems to change every other sip. Either way, it has a very nice feel to it. (4.25/5, 4.25/5)

Interesting. I wasn't sure what I thought at first sip. It's not at all hoppy enough to taste like a mislabeled black IPA or even a hoppy stout, but The Czar has hop accents that tend to not be found in the style. A bottle of this was $8.99, and I'd definitely say the intrigue factor of this beer would have me coming back to it again at some point.

(4.25/5)

4.25/5 (+7.9% rDev)

 

New Kolsch Sunday

Greetings NBSer's,
Building up to a hot and muggy day today in SCMN. At least 1 grand-kid coming this afternoon, so gotta' get this beer in before mayhem arrives.
Seems quite a few beers on the lighter lager side in the forum today and I guess I am in keeping in line with that. My beer comes courtesy of @beertunes via NBS BIF#2, which I am enjoying immensely.
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/18879/51491/?ba=garymuchow

Too bad my photo is a little out of focus to see how "brilliantly clear" this beer really is. It's lovely.
Anyway, I hope to be back later, but it might be much later.

 

Thank you! Is there a new unwritten rule about not posting music on NBS? I feel like I may have missed something somewhere

 

That's my favorite of Cnut's regular lineup. Tuesday is Kolsch day at the brewery, 8oz glass $1.50. An excellent deal IMHO. Glad you liked it.

 

New ESB Sunday!

Hello all! Beautiful sunny, warm day here in Milwaukee. My first selection comes from "across the pond". An ESB from England - Iron Maiden Trooper. It's a disappointment. Bland. Thin malt, some butterscotch and just a hint of hops. I would not have even known cascade hops were included if it weren't in the description on the label. I'm not an Iron Maiden fan, but if you are and want it for the gimmick and the label, it's drinkable. But, unimpressive. I scored it a 3.1-ish, only about.2 under the average.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/23394/96511/?ba=jwc215

Cheers!

 

Nice pics!!! What's it like? I'm quite curious.

 

So I'm bending the rules here a little - this is from last night. But it was already Sunday in Stoke-on-Trent, so heyyy.

Jester King Ol' Oi! Barrel Aged Sour Brown Ale



750 mL bottle into a tulip. Pours a medium, roasty brown and settles nearly black in the glass. Upon wiping away the condensation and holding my glass to a light source, a fading body of reddish-brown - or was it brownish-red? - liquid is visible behind the structure. Beautiful hues of warmth surround the bottom and edges, like an invisible hand holding this beer beneath my own. A steady, but slightly aggressive pour from directly above yielded a massive, dense, and sticky head of vanilla-colored foam, just over 2 fingers's width in height. This mound of fluff receded down to a thin, but still dense layer of froth after a few minutes, leaving behind an omnipresent, thick lacing on the walls of the glass.

After warming for about 5 minutes in-glass, a traditional wild yeast aroma is observed mixed with subtle sweet chocolate, caramel, and dark fruit. An incredibly pleasant aroma, yet not overly assertive. Upon tasting, I instantly recognize a beer that is wildly carbonated, relatively light-bodied, and infinitely easy to drink. Before even reaching the taste buds, a lovely and sweet flavor is detected on the lips and nose. Delicious sour notes, figs, and sweet fruit initially with the souring bacteria intensifying in the moments leading up to the finish.

Still incredibly carbonated on the finish, this beer is ever-so smooth going down. Clean and crisp, yet still as smooth as silk. The characteristics of a brown ale really come to life at this point, bringing forward those roasty and charred flavors typical of the malts used in this beer. With the sourness still being present, these two "styles" are meshed flawlessly, combined into a delicious sour roastiness that works better than (my) words can describe.

Jester King has yet to disappoint me. I have to trade to get their beers, but thus far it's been well worth the time and effort. Outstanding.

Look: 4.75 | Smell: 4 | Taste: 4.25 | Feel: 4.25 | Overall: 4.25

Weighted score: 4.22/5 (+2.4% rDev)

 

I concur. kinda bland. But that label is cool, and when you look at it, you can hear the guitar riff...

 

Sounds like we're off to a great start again this week! Some new faces, some familiars, some great beers... Ahhh sunday.
Today I decided I would do a little side by side with a couple of the awesome TX locals sent me by the one and only @BullDoza in his bottomless BIF box. Boffo!

[Well, I can't seem to get the picture to load. Maybe it will come later. Maybe it won't. THUS IS THE FUTURE SHROUDED IN MYSTERY]

I opted to go with both variants of Community Legion he sent along: the base beer and the BA version.

The first thing that surprises me is that the BA version holds slightly better head retention. We'll see if that holds true, or if it's just noise in the data. (UPDATE: mainly just noise)

Both pour that same soft cola not-quite-black. Glassy on the bits of the top that don't have little patches of head retained. Ruddy chestnut/mahogany at the edges when held up to light.

On the nose, UNsurprisingly, they start to diverge. The base beer is roast to char with bittersweet chocolate and coffee. Touch of dark fruits around the edges. The BA variant imparts vanilla and wood and round bourbon creep in. This augments the dark fruits a little more, pushing the chocolate and coffee more to the background. Round, enveloping, inviting, a truly appealing BARIS.

For the original the dark fruits continue to move a little more towards the forefront, Some smoothe medium-weight coffee roast, and almost a hint of cinnamon lurking in the shadows. Cold drinking chocolate comes through later as well and through the finish. Barrelling adds a touch of the vanilla and more whiskey, less bourbon than the nose. Again dark fruits move forward, though they fade a little earlier and there's less chocolate to the finish and more just bitter alcohol.

Still pretty boozy. Smoothe velvety thick-medium body, but a bit more carbonation than I prefer for the style. The BA seems to add to the velvety smoothe, while taking the carbonation down a touch. Still only upper medium thickness, but still within the goldilocks zone of the galaxy

All in all, they are both really good beers. UUUNNNNNsurprising. Overall the Barrell aging adds a fair amount, per my oh-so-important opinion, but definitely ramps up an already boozy beer into territory where I almost wish I'd let it rest for a bit. Almost.

(a drastic left turn from what I've actually been listening to lately, but I had to for -- hopefully -- pretty obvious reasons.)


(FINAL EDIT: Incidentally, I decided to just throw the tail ends of both glasses together, and I think I like the blend EVEN BETTER than either individually. Brings out the positives of both while minimizing the downfalls. FYI it was ~2/1 BA/original)

 

Man, I really thought long and hard about heading in to that meetup. It's walking distance from my house, and it's always nice to switch from virtual to in-person pint sharing, but that's the middle of my night. And it's the middle of this work week. And I got almost no sleep yesterday. ENOUGH OF MY KVETCHING!

 

New American Session IPA Sunday.

This is a new beer for me. I'm drinking it today. It's my first new beer on a Sunday since I last posted here in May.
The accompanying pic will reveal today's weather here at the Jersey Shore.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/735/154937/?ba=NiceTaps



That's my kid and her friend romping in the pool. The beer is delicious. Win-win day.
It's time for a quick swim, then I'm heading next door to drink my neighbor's beer. Ha!

Thanks for giving me a minute at the bar.
All the best!