New Beer Sunday (week 542)

Shut up and come!!!! Take a look at that spreadsheet. You're awake now, it starts in a couple hours. Take a 30 minute power nap, come by for an hour, then go sleep. COME TO THE LIGHT!!!!!

 

Greetings and Salutations from the Left Coast NBS'ers.
Thanks to @utopiajane for the esteemed jump off.

This has been a brutal week for me. Finally got about as ready as i could get to have my mom's estate sale. Weeks, nay months, of preparation only helped me feel partially ready for this event. After 2 12 hour days, I am SOOO DONE.
Thankfully, we found some great little surprises while placing the stuff out. Cool family history stuff as well as a few "Aw's".
Thankfully #2, I had some awesome beer to enjoy thanks to the behemoth of an NBS BIF #2 box from @Prager62 , as well a sweet trade box from @montman .

Technically, this one is from yesterday, post-sale, but I wanted to give a shout out for NBS:

Big Thanks to @Prager62 for this one.
Poured from the can dated 5/18/15.

Clear amber to copper in color, foams up to a nice finger-and-a-half of old bone scrimshaw off-white. Smells start out a little mellow. First a gentle pine and citrus copupled with hints of the biscuity malt smell, but there's also a hint at the alcohol too. Ohhhh, 11% ABV. Well for that high of a number the hint of alcohol in the nose is actually pretty subtle. After it sits for a minute the alcohol "warmth" in the nose tapers off.
Taste is more pine, some grassiness, lite citrus, with the biscuit and alcohol warmth remaining constant. Pretty smooth for such a big DIPA. Finisg is much of the same. Mouthfeel is slightly slick and resiny.
Overall this is smoother than I expected for such a big one. I would've liked more hoppy burst to this one, but still really good.

He also sent me an FFF Apocalypse Cow, while not a "new" one for me...so so good. Shared that with my "help" yesterday. That would be my dad, a Hoosier. He said, "Mmm, that one is real nice." Thanks Pops.

 

Greetings friends,
My knee is killing me and cortisone seems to be at a dead end. Beer is my best friend. Beer is my second best friend, Martha tells me and it is true. Old athletic injuries are coming to roost and I knew it would be so. My wife is giving me shit, and I'll probably need the knee replaced, but I'm still scared. If I wasn't such a *****, I could deal with it, but I am a procrastinator and hate all of this shit about......getting old. Sorry, guys, it's a nice day, we spent nice time with our children last night and I truly remain very positive. I actually may have good news!
Today's beer is Fat Heads Bumble Berry Honey Blueberry Ale. This is another beautiful gift from @WesMantooth and the BIF bidness. Jeez, the second I cracked this beaut, I knew it would be delicious. It was all fruit and just perfect; aroma, color, it's sheer presence, were wonderful.It is dry, with a perfect sweet/dry piquancy that is a brewing achievement. The several beers that I have had from these guys are excellent. Cripes, I said nothing about the music. I was all over the place this morning and had a hard time I love this stuff!

 

Come on man...All the cool kids are doing it.

 

Well, at least us dorks are doing it.

 

Earlier this week I determined that I was only 15 styles away from 100 (there are 104 styles listed on the site) - and I know those styles that I haven't had at this point are gonna take effort on my part to experience - so I started ticking those styles and the beers that went with them...

This was my midweek pick-up of untried styles...

The Anchor Steam Beer (steam beer) was my favorite. It packed big flavors and drank really well. The Sam Adams was my second favorite. Also, flavorful with a warming sweetness (Vienna lager). The Kolsch and the Brooklyn Lager (American amber/red lager) were not to my liking, but I reckon they were decent enough beers. The O'Doul's (low alcohol lager) is just a waste of perfectly good water. Even if you love beer, but can't have alcohol, this can't possibly be what you want. The Colt was the only one I found gross. That American malt liquor tick was disgusting. Like watery corn syrup.

That brings us to today...

My first ever cream ale - and I think I picked a good one - Sweet Action

Much better than I thought - nice balance between malt and hop - like biscuit and lightly shellacked citrus. Smooth and soft. Very easy-drinkin'.

Cheers - one more new beer style to come...

 

Taking a short break from my NBS BIF box because I made it up to Tired Hands this morning for the Astral Plane release. So time to crack one of the bottles open! From the bottle "Astral Plane is our firm but ephemeral wheat Saison. Fermented and conditioned in our large oak foudres with a blend of our resident yeast and bacteria. Maybe we will see you on the Astral Plane." So here we go with the first review!

4.56/5rDev n/a
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

500 ml bottle poured into a teku

A- A hazy orange with a two finger white head.

S- Cirtus, grapefruit, tart, hay, oak, barnyard funk, some wheat, slightly sweet malt backbone. Very nice.

T- Citrus, light fruit, tart, oak, some hay, really nice barnyard funk, some peppercorns, hints of a wine like grape quality.

M- Smooth, dry, light to medium body.

O- A great tart saison with great funk. Feel this would be even better aged in white wine barrel.

Label:

And the pour:

 

Thank you, but my knee goes where I take it. I hope a good answer will transpire. You are truly kind.

 

Cheers NBS! My new beer today is de Garde Azacca Hose. I hit the brewery last weekend and this was one of the few beers available.

Overall, it's a good sour. Very tart up front and with a balanced, refreshing finish. However, it doesn't quite have the character and complexity of the other de Garde beers I've had -- including this beer's inspiration, the (outstanding) original Hose.

I gave this beer a 4.03, good in my book, but an rDev of -7.3% for this beer.

 

New American Pale Ale Sunday (week 542)

Good day NBS'ers from on the ridge in Mid Hud Val NY. I am completely exhausted after the all time record setter of a busy weekend at the recycle center. It was so busy my boss, the town Supervisor, actually paid an in person visit today, Sunday, to see how I was doing. Customers joked he came to make sure I hadn't died on the job. Went through two gallons of water yday and today. Lord have mercy, I do declayuuhhhh, there is nothing puts a man right after a day of absolutely incredible toil and sweat like a beer.

And I have this last pale ale from @gopens44 BIF box that is nothing special but just what the doc ordered to get me arighted. That glass was full moments ago, it is not so now.

Hope you also have a Great American Beer in your glass. Cheers!

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/26753/94191/?ba=cavedave



Listening to Mozart is like your mind drinking a refreshing beer.

 

One of my all-time favorites and a "must find" when visiting CA. Downright jealous...

 

My first black & tan, from America's oldest brewery...

Yuengling Black & Tan - I'm not a fan of low abv pales or porters, so this wasn't particularly compelling for me - I've made my own black & tan with Evil Twin's Yin and Yang - and lemme tell ya - it was a lot more fun drinking that than this - this had some roasty porter and pale ale characteristics, but nothing remarkable.

So that wraps up my quest for 100 styles for the week. I need 7 more styles to hit 100, and there are 11 styles left that I haven't had: American dark wheat, faro, unblended lambic, English pale mild, English pale dark, roggenbier, kvass, gruit, happoshu, kellerbier/zwickelbier, and euro dark lager. I'll see what I can turn up next week when I hit a couple of different stores.

Cheers, NBS

 

I know Jeff, the owner at Selkirk Abbey, and it warms my heart to see one of his beers show up on NBS!

 

Happy New Beer Sunday BA’s! It has been a busy week for me here and I finally have a chance to sit back and truly enjoy some quality beer. Last weekend I was fortunate enough to learn of Adroit Theory Brewing Co. and invited on a day trip to the brewery to try some of their product.

Adroit Theory Brewing Company is a nano-brewery located in Purcellville, Loudoun County, Virginia. They make esoteric beers with an emphasis on barrel aging. ATB Co. I really enjoyed their open air set up and the friendly, educated staff that had a good approach to engaging with customers from the enthusiasts to the new and curious. For those of you in the DC/MD/VA area or if you are visiting you should definitely put this on your list of breweries to visit.

Provided with a nifty carrying case, I walked away with three of their offerings I enjoyed the most, one of which I will be sharing with you today.




Tenebris – Barleywine (#748/1250)
During Medieval times, “The Shadow of the Sun” was how European Alchemists defined the Crow. It was their symbol for the blackness of despair and chaos.



Review:

Poured into a grand snifter within the suggested temperature range (52°-56°F)

Appearance: Pours a clean, amber color (listed as SRM 13 but looks more like a low to mid 20’s SRM) and lighter on the edges when held up to artificial light. 1 index finger sized head which dissipates after a minute with no lacing.

Smell: Malty aromas of toasted, wheat bread lead followed by sweet fruit with no alcohol presence to speak of. As it warms the aromas become more distinct.

Taste: Subtle sweet fruit of raisins or dates and bananas lead, earthiness and bitters persist throughout with a pleasant, slightly dry, warming finish. As it warms the sweet fruits become more prominent but never dominate and bring the bitterness to a compromise, balancing the beer even more.

Mouthfeel: A heavy, oily mouthfeel that coats the tongue and palate well, allowing the sweeter aspects of the beer to linger which helps with the balancing of the bitters.



Overall: I’m still developing an appreciation for a good Barleywine and this particular beer seems to fit the American style as I have come to know it. While I still prefer the English style this is a very good offering which was much more balanced than most I have experienced. The sweet fruit really helps usher the bitter, piney aspects of the beer down and makes it much more enjoyable. This is definitely a beer for late Fall and Winter. Given the extreme limited stock of this particular batch I doubt I will see it again but if I do I would definitely pick up more bottles for aging. Cheers!

I typed this while enjoying Mozart's Symphony #29.

 

@JackHorzempa - I posted my findings over here.

I wound up enjoying Jever the best, but that may have just been personal preference; I could see anybody making a case for either one of the beers I tasted today.

Cheers, and have a great Sunday!

I hope to be back with a new beer later on today.

 

This brew pours a hazy, opaque orange color with lots of sediment in the glass. There is a fluffy two finger white head which dissipates fairly quickly but some of it does stick around until the end. There is light lacing and lots of carbonation.

The smell is full of bubble gum, bananas, cloves and coriander. There is also the usual sweet wheat and musty smell.

The taste follows the nose with mostly the bubble gum taste dominating. The bananas and spices are a bit muted. This beer is very sweet, the sweetness downs out most every other taste. This does not change as the beer warms up. The feel is creamy but there is a slightly gritty taste at the end along with a hint of hops. Overall, this is another decent beer from Yuengling.

 

This is fairly new. It was released in January 2015. A one-off from Ommegang of Upstate New York. It is their 2015 Belgian Independence Day Ale. 9.2% ABV. Corked and caged. Copper and heady. Great pepper and spice characters going on. Light to medium body. Banana. Spicy finish. A really nice Tripel.

One day I hope to visit the Ommegang Brewery. It is about four hours from me and on my to-do list. But someday I need to stop making lists and actually hit the road.

 

Absolutely! All of their labels, of course, are done by a local free lance artist. He really captures what Adroit is about.