New Beer Sunday (week 546)

Good morning piney prophets and citrus cardinals, it's time again for my favorite forum on the week, NBS. Today is a hot day, and it's not even 9 a.m. in NWNJ. Church service will be followed by a walk through the local zoo, and capped off by a visit to my favorite local brewery, Angry Erik. I hope you're having a pleasant day, I know I will.

On the docket: Clown Shoes’ Hoppy Feet 2.0, 22 oz. Dated: 3/5/2015.

Poured with a bit of vivre into a Sam Adams perfect pint glass.

Sight: Dark, dark brown, perhaps chestnut with a tan head. Deep red/purple highlights inside the body. The Head blooms up to about a thumb and a half, then calms down to a pock-marked sponge of half a thumb. It’s a clean glass, so the head sticks around, and lacing is consistent, thin bands.

Aroma: Mostly pine, and a bit of citrus greet the nose, with an addition of roasted, bitter malt. There’s a hint of alcohol evident in the aroma, too.

Taste: Similar to aroma. I almost want to say a bit of raisin or fig in addition to the roasted, chicory-like malt and the brazen hop profile. Anise/licorice? I’ll throw in molasses, too. One can also detect the 10% abv at this point. It has a warm feeling, not overbearing.

Feel: Slick, oily, and coating. I’d call it medium +. It does have some tingle to it; on the dry side.

Overall: I did not have the first version of Hoppy Feet. Regardless, once again, Clown Shoes, you’re put out a winner in my book. Sip with caution, and not on an empty stomach. This one helped me rediscover my love for dark, bitter brews. It almost feels like an American Strong Ale due to the alcohol, but there’s not quite enough sweetness to balance the brashness? At just over 5 months old, this bottle is great. I wonder, what does it taste like 5 days old?


S: 4 A: 4.25 T: 4.5 F: 4 O: 4.25

Suggested music pairing: What else? My favorite fuzzy amphibious friend from my favorite childhood show.

 

Good Sunday morning all, and thanks to @utopiajane for her warm and welcoming opening today! My new beer is "Lava Smoked Imperial Stout" by Olvisholt Brugghus, Olvisholt, Iceland:



The beer manager at Lucky's recommended this as a mildly smoked stout, the "smoky" flavors coming from the local water, given the nearby volcano...





There is a whisper of smoke in the nose and subtle smoky flavor. Roasted malt with a bittersweet chocolate middle and a dry, smoky finish. The mouthfeel is drying and the tongue coating is roasted malt. Not the typical "liquid smoke" flavor I've found in previous smoked beer, the smoke is there but more nuanced. I like that...Roasted malt dominates the palate, and the linger is dry roast. I was expecting more...I would have liked a little more sweetness...overall, I would rate this just under a 4...Cheers!

 

7.7% alcohol. 70 IBU. Introduced in 2015. Brewed in Mississippi.

4.24/5 rDev n/a
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Faust Holzfassgereifter Eisbock has a thin, highly fizzy, cream-colored head of foam, little-to-no lacing left on the glass, and a hazy, caramel appearance, with some lazy bubble streams. The aroma is rich and intense: fruits (figs & dates), brown bread, syrup, caramel, malt, sweetness, and even hop bitterness. Mouthfeel is very heavy, syrupy, and cloying, and Faust Holzfassgereifter Eisbock finishes rich, boozy, and not particularly drinkable. Sip it. Slowly.

 

Good morning New BSers! Thank you Maria for getting us started good and early - got me wishing I had some Victory at Sea on hand, but oh well. I totally missed the "Angels on the Balcony" reference - Blondie? Anyway, awaiting the arrival of some Texas relatives today for tomorrow's funeral - got my beer reefer stocked with Southern Tier 2XIPA and another fairly local - Rusty Rail variety pack from Mifflinburg, PA - about three hours east. However, today's new brew is this:



A decent IPA but nothing too exciting:

Undated bottle at 41 degrees into SA “perfect pint”
$ 1.69/12 oz bottle at the Lager Mill
Aroma light pine
Head average (four cm, aggressive pour), off white, creamy, diminishing to three mm ring and creamy partial layer
Lacing good – irregular vertical retention of portions of the ring with small to medium bubbles
Body medium orange, hazy, effervescent
Flavor – starts and remains moderately bitter throughout, a hint of malt backbone; no alcohol, no diacetyl
Palate light to medium, watery, lively carbonation

Appearance 4, Aroma 3.75, Flavor 3.75, Palate 4, Overall 4 Rating 3.84, rDev +4.9%

 

What up, new beer people?

Blue skies and sunny, breezy and dry, mid-70's, expected to get into the low-80's today on the Island...

I'm trying to stay diligent with new beer ticks - I'm at 934 and determined to hit that 1000. Getting tougher to tick new beers lately - unless something new comes around, I seem to have had most of what really compels me around here, so now I'm making an effort to try stuff that I haven't wanted to try in 5 years... Also looking to get that 100th style tick - ugh - what a chore! There are only 5 styles I've never had*, and they are, expectedly, pretty scarce at the moment. I'm waiting on something to arrive here to satisfy that tick...

But this morning's new beer?

Green Flash Citra Session IPA

Not a real session guy - I'm partial to stronger beers - I'd say 7-10% is my sweet spot...

But I am also a fan of dat juicy Citra hop, so this beer was a good pick...

Clear gold beer with a nice fluffy head... Kicks off aromas of floral citrus, suggesting oranges and tangerines and the like - the tastes follows suit, lots of citrus juice and dust, light-medium feel, ample carbonation; drinks fast and easy; great aftertaste, moderate bitterness. If you're gonna go session, this is a great choice.

One more new beer for today pending... see you then - cheers...

*missing styles: English pale mild, English dark mild, happoshu, unblended lambic, roggenbier...

 

I received this from a very generous trader here on BA.

This beer is absolutely delicious, very complex and very tasty, this one is a sipper. Not because it's particularly boozy or bitter, i find it to be neither in fact, but just because there is so much going on that you really feel the drive to savor each sip. One to seek out for sure. cheers

 

Berliner Weisse – Why did it take me so long?

An absolutely gorgeous morning in SEPA. I will be going to the Bethlehem Musikfest later today: good music, good beer (in my 20 ounce Musikfest Mug), good food (some German food plus maybe some Funnel Cake), good times!!

One of my preferred summertime beers is Berliner Weisse It seems to me that last summer I saw a few different types of Berliner Weisse on the market but for some reason I have not noticed this being the case this year. Have been traveling in the ‘wrong’ circles this year?

Maria (@utopiajane) I am still on the lookout for Cuyuga Cruiser on draft but no luck so far.

Luckily I had a bit of forethought last year and saved one bottle of Dogfish Head Festina Peche for an experiment. Let’s see how this beer tastes after one year of cellaring.

Served in my St. Bernardus chalice:

Appearance:

Hazy golden with a HUGE white head.

Aroma:

The first sniffs yield impressions of sweet and ‘juicy’. Very pleasant!!

Taste:

The first thing that hits me is some tartness (a pleasant level for me). There is a fruity flavor from the peach addition but it is subtle.

Mouthfeel:

Spritzy with a bit of sharpness initially. As the beer opens up, more of a medium body.

Overall:

I really enjoyed drinking this beer. Berliner Weisse beers are indeed good summertime sippers!!

My guess on what aging this beer did for this beer is it increased the carbonation level a bit and with precipitation of particulates it created a bit more of a hazy pour. I have no idea whether aging this beer improved it any but it sure did not harm the beer from a drinking experience perspective.

Cheers!

 

Sorry to hear you're spending tomorrow at a funeral.

 

Absolutely luv this offering by Ballast Point and it is IMHO the Pinnacle of Porters!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Excellent flow chart by the way

 

Thanks for the Share and I'm extremely intrigued by this beer. I like subtle smoked beers/ sometimes hard to find them but this looks like a great possibility--Cheers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

 

Got to try the Cruiser on tap a week or so ago. For me it was a nice, straightforward interpretation based on my limited experience with the style. Tart but not too tart and easy drinking. I also had Festina Peche recently and thought it less tart, but with a little better feel - and agree on the subtleness of the peach.

 

I'd classify that as an Impy Stout with a little smokiness rather than as a smoked beer. Definitely a solid beer, one I picked up a couple years ago with no idea as to what to expect.

 

For myself... my new beer I picked up about 2 weeks ago and meant it for NBS then. Each weekend I seem to find another option I'd rather have. Not today, dangit! We are going to have Smuttynose Kindest Find, and that's that!


No reason for the backside shot - and neither shot came out that well - but oh well...

The beer itself pours a nice amber to a light red-brown. Head grows nicely on the pour, and does stick around. The nose is the first disappointment, and it has nothing to do with its qualities, it's just that it confirmed this was likely going to be a nicely bitter amber ale - and I am biased against this style as it doesn't fit my palate very well. There is a starting-to-ferment grain smell that reminds me of the spent grain I let sit around a couple days this last catch (it was a brown ale wort). Oh well, it is what it is, and if you enjoy ambers/red ales, I can see it appealing to you.

The taste is a bit sweeter than I might have expected from the nose, but otherwise very similar to the nose. I get a tea-like opening that is hoppy-herbal. This style generally seems to me a bit of a sweeter version of an English ESB, and this beer starts in that fashion. It does punch with a more green/herbal/almost piney hop profile. As those flavors fade, though, I get a bit of the metallic taste I associate with ESBs.

For myself, I definitely can say I tried another red ale, and it still isn't a style that appeals to me. I can see why the rating on this one was higher, as it seems a good interpretation of the style.

 

heres a relative unknown out of chi-town

as you can see, pours licorice and has a licorice aroma as well with a nice thick burnt butter colored head. . is it a rye, is it a black, yes yes. for me , just the right amount of sweetness and anise character

drinks smooth but leaves a touch of bitterness on the back of your tongue, for this beer that's what I expected.

I will definitely recommend this if you can find it, you will at least enjoy it, and maybe wish you would have bought that 2nd one. cheers to you and new beer sunday, a great pipeworks coming later on today...

 

I would love to try this, thank for the review! Cheers!

 

Nice. That one sounds right up my alley, especially the dry finish- so I already have it written down on the top of 'the list'. Thanks for the heads-up.