New Beer Sunday (week 544)

Good afternoon, folks! Today I'm having my first Jackie O's beer, "Dark Apparition". 10.5% ABV Russian Imperial Stout. This is a really solid RIS, but I wish it was less hoppy and more roasty/malty. Cheers!

 

Not real bad - had the loud pop but didn't overflow. I did have to wait a couple of minutes to allow the head to recede before I could drink it. I always open aged bottles in the sink, just in case!

Cheers!

 

My fourth and final IPA today...

From Colorado, America, Breck IPA - from Breckenridge Brewery...

Guess it's a new beer - noted it was added 4-23-15 - not able to spot any bottle dating on mine...

Tasted pretty damn good. Rich golden color; fat, fluffy head left plenty of lace behind. Lots of juice and pine - fruity sweetness is paired with a rich malt character; brings a moderately bitter hop barrage that has all sorts of pine and pith. A little thick on the body, and perhaps a little on the sweet side for some, but a big-feeling and juicy-tasting IPA.

This was my new beer mixed six pick-up for today...

I bought two bottles of the Breck and the Nirvana, figuring them to be the ones I'd enjoy more...

Tried them over the past coupla nights, holding onto the second bottles for my reviews today...

I've noticed that over the past year I've slowed somewhat in new beer tasting - I've probably tried most of what's interesting to me and available, and have just been at the mercy of whatever new comes my way. Which is not a problem. Just recently, we've gotten Ninkasi and Pipeworks.

But I'm also a gamer, so I know that I'm close to 1000 beers... I have to keep trying new stuff to keep my palate's frame of reference sharp, but now I'm also eying a landmark number. New beers 500-750 went pretty quick, but from 750-1000 is moving slooooowwly...

In closing...


These were all good beers. The Breck IPA was a the juiciest and plumpest, if that's a thing. The Harbor Ale was rustic and lean - probably the most rugged of the bunch, perhaps appropriately so. The Burton IPA was an English IPA, which I didn't realize until I drank it and went to review - it had a more balanced malt-hop profile, and a decidedly English warmth. It was quite nice. The Nirvana IPA was bright, fruity, fresh, and citrusy - let's call it fun-loving

All really good IPAs...

Cheers, folks...

 

Back with another beer - one that is a tie-in with my recent avatar change.

Today marks the 50th running of the annual hydroplane race on the Columbia River at my hometown. Initially called the Atomic Cup, then for most of it's history the Columbia Cup and now the Gold Cup (with some sort of corporate sponsor name attached), this is still a huge regional event, despite the steady erosion of interest in the sport as a whole. When I was growing up, it was a big event in my family, which involved parking a truck days ahead of time to hold a place along Canal Drive, looking down on the racecourse, so that you' have a place to set up lawnchairs and coolers the day of the race.

As time passed, I got older and got interested in other things, one team that was massively funded beyond all the others (named Budweiser) made it less competitive, and helicopter turbines replaced big, throaty piston engines from WWII fighter planes (the boats got faster, but less fun and more like a science lesson), I was less and less interested, but the last few weeks I've been a bit nostalgic about it, which made this beer a must for me today:

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/909/182138/?ba=woemad

A nice warm weather lager, but it's definitely not in the same league as the one @beertunes sent me from Chuckanut a while back. Still, I'm keeping the bottle with it's cool, vintage-looking label.

 

I don't think I've ever seen that style of opening for a beer can before. Are there others besides Slyfox that use it?

 

Next to the wheel, fire, beer, and donuts, pancakes are man's greatest achievement.

 

This is a BA who knows how to breakfast.

 

Happy NBS, folks. Just opened this bottle of Ale Apothecary El Cuatro (bottled 5/2/2015), which mysteriously found its way to one of my local bottle shops even though, to my knowledge, AA is not distributed in this state. But who am I to ask questions?

From the tag around the neck:
EL CUATRO
brewed 1/12/13 & 1/14/14
.blend of brews #44-47 & #107/108.
.2-row, light caramel malts & aged hops.
.aged in brandy barrels for 19 months.
.aged in Pinot barrels for 4 months.
.purest Skyliner air and aquifer h2O.

It's listed as a saison, but I think it's closer to a Flanders oud bruin. Sour almost to the point of vinegary on the nose; nice tart lactic acidity on the palate. Dry crackery malt. I don't think I like this as much as La Tache, the only other Ale Apothecary beer I've had. Still, I had to jump at the opportunity to try this, as I don't get down to Oregon (let alone Bend) often enough. Cheers!

 

4.31/5 rDev -2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
A- Thick khaki-brown head that sits upon a body of motor oil goodness. Eventually it settled to a half-finger head that clung to the sides of the glass.
S- Thai Coffee. Maple, praline, pecans, mocha, sweet pipe tobacco, rum spice, fig, star anise. A bit of booze, but nothing overpowering.
T- Big roast and milk chocolate that's immediately balanced by dark fruit/spice complexity. Finishes with more booze... I actually get a good amount of the barrel.
M- Thick, slick, slightly chalky. Some of this reminds me of an old red wine. Quite tanic.
O- Delicious. A bit sweet and cloying at times, but the nose is amazing

This slowed my morning down to a crawl. . The cellar has been covered with mold, so i decided to dig my bottles out and seal them in storage containers before bringing them back down. Seeing this beauty was too much too handle, so i cleaned her off and poured her vigorously. I did try this at the anniversary party a few months ago, but needed to give it a proper review.

 

It was a first for me, but if my memory serves me correctly, I've seen others that use it. Maybe others can chime in on the subject?

 

I heartily agree with everything on your list except for the exclusion of pizza.

 

Good Afternoon NBS-ers! Thanks to Maria for a very eloquent introduction to the thread today!

Today's entry for me is the new Session Ale: Sunshine Daydream from Fat Head's.

As you can see Meeko thinks this is a tasty beer on this hot day in Florida!

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a Cuvee glass.
Tons of carbonation in this, really had to wait this one out so I could get all of it in the glass! Body is a crystal clear light golden; the head is a range of tiny tight little bubbles to larger bubbles that leaves little islands of lacing in the glass.
Smells of citrus: lemon, grapefruit and a little bit of tropical fruits too; pineapple and faintly mango.
Tastes pretty much like it smells! Plenty of that lemon and citrus, but is well rounded out with a sweetness of those malts on the end.
Although there was a ton of carbonation showing up on the pour there isn't a lot when you drink it; there's a lot of that hoppiness on the tongue and a nice dry finish.
Overall this is a very well done Session Ale! I don't typically go for this style, because it always seems to be all promise and no reward, however this is a well crafted session beer! From the aroma to the taste and the finish! Plus all under %5 abv. Can't go wrong with this one, pick it up if you find it!

Cheers Big Ears!

Cross-posting with WBAYDN#1009 of course!

 

Got up today, headed over to my place and gathered together a few things and cleaned up the bathrooms. The friend whose sister will be staying at my place a while stopped over a title later and we grabbed some two-man-job items to take to my GF's place. It wasn't too warm when we did this, but a sure was in need of hydration after moving.

Started with a far from new AV Kimmie ' Gose then some lunch. Finally settling in with a new beer I found at a newly re-opened grocery store. A Virginia brewer we've seen limited offerings from, I'd never seen a larger format by them. Got 2 different ones, but this one is S Turns - by O'Connor Brewing.


Pour is pretty damn awesome - straw yellow, volume of head that was hard to control; white and reminding me of marshmallow fluff at one point, the head provided copious sheets of soapy lacing.
The nose has some of the expected esters, pear and apple, along with a heavy note of clove. Unfortunately there's also another note in there that seems a tad like isopropyl alcohol.

The taste seems to eschew the fruit for the spice. Lightly apple tasting is covered by pepper and clove. The alcohol from the nose only shows up as a bit of heat near the end, along with a mint taste. Carbonation is pretty spot on, however.

There's no date on the bottle, so I could see it maybe suffering from a bit of age. Either way, hope the next one is a bit better.

 

This blend of Belgian Ale and Left Hand Wake Up Dead is really outstanding! I rated it 4.44.

look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Poured into snifter. The color is extremely dark brown and opaque with thick, creamy tan head and thick lacing which lasted for the entire pour. This is one good looking beer! The smell is malty with some dark fruit and spicy chocolate. The taste is really unique: the sweetness of the malt and dark fruit is countered almost immediately by the sour fruitiness. Then the chocolate comes through at the finish. It's a really delicious combination. Medium-bodied with generous carbonation and a head that just won't quit. Overall, this a terrific and enjoyable Belgian Ale. It helps that I also really like Left Hand Wake Up Dead. The combination is delicious. I'm definitely going to buy more of this ale and I'm interested in seeing how it ages.

 

I dream of big fluffy pancakes. My analyst told me..... damn that Joni Mitchell song.

 

It's...

"All About Dinosaurs"



This is one of the books that inspired scientists and artists waaaay back in the 50's. As a wee lad, my mother bought it for me in the early 60's. It set me on the art path and thus doomed me to always living on the cusp-of-extinction as a starving artist. Filled with drawings of lovable tail dragging, slothful dinosaurs and erroneous theories.

My NBS offering:
King Sue DIPA has rampaged into my beer world! From Toppling Goliath Brewing and made possible by the Generous & Benevolent @Hopgoddess312

The single hopped King Sue easily lives up to its world class 99 BA rating and stands tall with so many other great DIPAs still alive and thriving today.



King Sue is no tail-dragging Dino!!!



Above: Art by William Stout, a great illustrator and another personal inspiration.

With claws dug deep King Sue packs aggressive and slightly pungent juicy primordial citrus flavors and conjures images of dodging giant dragonflies whilst wandering amongst aromatic Jurassic hop fields! She smells like the jungle, bites like a you-know-what, and delivers a pleasantly balanced malt component.

Sue tastes...peachy!

 

This is the second maple stout I've had to add to my wants today. My only experience with maple syrup in beer thus far has been Rogue's accursed Voodoo Doughnuts Maple Bacon beer, but what I'm seeing today makes me think the idea might have merit after all.

 

Such a great post.

Though I was born in the early 70s, I, too, had a similar dinosaur book that was a favorite at an early age. It later became a prized possession of my niece. Kids really dig the dinos.

 

Decided it was about time to tick the Westy 12 off my list, so I had it with ABT 12. Westy wins, but only by a whisker!
given that my neighbor @maz isn't into trading, I felt the need to share the moment in his garage so he could try the westy too - we both agreed; damn close.

Westy review - 4.57
12oz bottle
L - Deep Amber Ruby color. Very clear with a foamy off white head
S - Dried fruit and dark caramel malts. Surprisingly soft yeast without much overt fruity esters
T - caramel, figs and raisins. Some stone fruit overtones. Firm bitterness to finish
F - prickly with bright carb. Slightly creamy with a sweet finish
Overall worth seeking out. Had this with st bernardus ABT 12, and I would give this the nod, but it is exceptionally close. Frankly shipping and storage conditions could easily account for the difference

ABT 12 - 4.44
Poured from 12 oz bottle
L - slightly murky rust brown with 1 inch off white head
S - Bubblegum yeast with hints of caramel and dried fruit
T - More dried fruit with dark caramel and a firmly bitter finish
F - light body with prickly carb
Overall the gold standard belgian quad for me. An extremely well made and consistent beer that is easily available whenever I feel like it. Every beer guy needs to have tried this more than once.

 

I also opened my bottle in the sink, just in case.

Cheers!