New Beer Sunday (week 549)

I've had this a few times before but never reviewed it, a very enjoyable beer as it is with Samuel Smith, cheers!


Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale
Samuel Smith Old Brewery (Tadcaster)
English Brown Ale / 5.00% ABV
4.21/5 rDev +3.4% | rAvg: 4.07
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

18.7 ounce bottle poured into a pint glass

Pours a light, clear brown with a two finger head, some lacing, average amount of carbonation, head is creamy, lots of tiny bubbles. Aroma is nutty, caramel, slight butterscotch coming through, smells sweet. More toasty notes on the tastes than the aroma, almost like a light toasted nutty flavor, hints of caramel and toffee, slight bitterness towards end, some grain, earth notes, dry, toasted finish, very pleasant. It has a creamy mouthfeel, dry finish, balanced carbonation, easy drinking. A very enjoyable beer, solid, outstanding, looks good, has some depth and complexity on the aroma and tastes, creamy mouthfeel, easy drinking.

 

Thanks! I'm currently drinking a Weyerbacher Insanity on WBAYDN...and things are back to normal.

 

Now up Otter Creek/Jack Abbey Joint Custody. Feel it had a lot of potential but falls short.
3.72/5 rDev -2.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

12 oz can poured into a pint

A- A very slightly hazy golden straw color with a three finger white head.

S- Some onions, wet grass, citrus, pale malts.

T- Slightly smoky and wet grass in the finish, pilsner malts, biscuity, earth spice, finish is hurting this beer.

M- Smooth, light to medium body.

O- Was hoping for more from this with Jack Abby being involved. The finish really hurts this beer, but it wouldn't stop me from trying again if it brewed I would give it a try again. (486 characters)

Also one of my chinchillas wanted to say hi after getting his caged clean earlier.

 

I walked down the road to my bro's with a bottle of Boulevard Aztec Chocolate Stout I've been staring at in the fridge for weeks. A best by date of 04-2017 with an abv. of 11% poured into a tulip glass.

It pours black as night with a finger of tan foam. A medicinal aroma of cinnamon, licorice, and spices. The flavor is cinnamon forward with some dark chocolate. A bit of roasted pepper flavor and heat are in the finish. There's a medicinal flavor to it all that I'm not digging. The feel is thin and unspectacular.



My two cents? A decent beer, but not spectacular by any means. I'm glad I just bought one and didn't bite on one to cellar. Link to review......

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/423/166343/?ba=Prager62

 

Happy New Belgian IPA Sunday!

Sunny/Cloudy day here in the Western Slopes, upper 80s with 30% chance of rain later on today. Very tasty brew today, glad to have found it here.

Stone Enjoy After - Stone Brewing Co.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/147/139129/?ba=Wasatch

Cheers!

 

Hello fellow NBS-ers! Wasn't sure if I'd make it here today or not. I spent the majority of my Sunday out with my GF's pop, helping him with new-car-shopping. There's a very special rung in Hell reserved for car salespeople - apologies to any BA car-salespeople :-)
Anyhow, I'm home now & have but one new brew to share today. First I'd just like to say what a pleasure it is (as always) to be contributing to this great thread & what a great time I'm having reading all of the thoughtful new beer reviews today. Without further ado:

Stone Bourbon Barrel-Aged Arrogant Bastard Ale


First, some BA stuff:

A: 3.75, S: 4, T: 4, M: 3.75, O: 3.75, BA says: 3.91

My official review:

12oz bottle into my Duvel tulip.

A: Pours a clear, deep-amber/brown with 3/4" khaki head that recedes pretty quickly. Retention & lacing are both OK.

S: Very balanced. Initial whiff reveals Bourbon-aging immediately. Deeply resinous & piney hop notes along with brown sugar & caramel-like malt character. Touches of vanilla & pitted fruit as well. Very nice.

T: Comes on with heavy-duty Bourbon/oak notes. Everything leading up to the mid palate is Bourbony. Mid palate is spicy, dank hoppage, lots of pine & hints of black pepper. The finish is fuller & maltier, with graham cracker & brown sugar notes being the most pervasive. There's a boozy, figgy note on the very tail end - punctuated by a skootch more Bourbon.

M: Moderate carb married to a fairly dense, malty body. Sticky, syrupy & yet just-so delicate. Finish is heavy.

O: This is a logical & fitting alteration to standard Bastard. I'm basically impressed although not madly in love in a more subjective way.

So, from a purely objective standpoint, this is what I'd call an upgrade to regular AB. The Bourbon in noticeable yet not overbearing & imparts added levels of complexity. I'm inclined to say that on a more subjective level, however, I find this brew to be a bit much. It's dense, deep & complex - yet still somehow rather one-note. It's a visceral experience - yet still leaves me searching. It's as if, despite itself, this brew backed itself into a corner (so to speak). I find myself wanting both more & less at the same time, whatever that means

Anyhow, definitely glad I was able to taste this brew & share my thoughts with ya'll here today.

Wishing you all good beer & good cheer!

 

Yeah I love those hummingbirds when they fly right up to the window or your face after feasting as if to say " hello. And by the way you can't catch me"

 

Well, I'm back NBS-ers! That Ybor Gold was just not good at all. So it's after dinner so why not have dessert?!

Funky Buddha Blueberry Cobbler Ale

I only bought one bottle and now I'm kind of regretting that decision!

Poured into a Cuvee glass out of a 12 oz. bottle. Bottled 01/22/15
Beautiful purple tinted to red body, thin amount of head. Real blueberries used to brew this beer.
First smell is of vanilla! Tons of vanilla, hint of cinnamon and then blueberries. Smells like a sweet blueberry cobbler to be sure!
Taste...WOW! It's just like eating a blueberry cobbler with melted vanilla ice cream. Sweet, vanila-y (is that a word), delicious.
Mouthfeel is light and sweet.
Overall, a delicious dessert beer. It comes through on it's promise of tasting like Blueberry Cobbler, because that is exactly what it is. A little sweet, but c'mon what are you expecting when you buy a beer like this?

Cheers Big Ears!

 

Well I came home to a 2" snow storm in my living room as my mastiff pup had decided to shred the two foam bolster pillows on the day bed one evening when we were out.

 

Good Evening, NBS!

The girlfriend had to work today, so I postponed my post today. This weekend has been a good deal of lying around, as the poison ivy (or whatever) that I never get doesn't seem to be going away - and seems to be spreading despite my care and restraint as scratching. Oh well, have to see if I can get a doctor's appointment for some relief, perhaps some non-OTC type relief, if that's even an option. And don't get me started on my bursitis...

Onto better things... new beer!! This offering might get me a new state as well, and it is Blackberry Farm Classic Saison - out of Walland, Tennessee:


The label, in my mind, is surprisingly honest. Without really re-reading it before I did my review, I thought this was a fairly classic taste on the Saison style. It was fairly dry, and mostly earthy with subtle hints of wine, stone fruit, and lemon. The nose showcased the fruit a bit more than the taste did.

The head did explode up the glass on a non-vigorous pour. My one complaint was that I thought the carbonation was a bit strong, and added a bold bite to the drink that was out of proportion and threatened overtaking the other aspects of the beer.

This brewery only has a couple beers here on BA, and this is the only one with >10 reviews. With a quick visit to the website, the farm seems to offer a wide range of activities, the brewery just being one part of the experience. This beer is their "current offering" - and is the first I've seen of it in Northern Virginia. A nice opening salvo from them, if a tad expensive. Glad I tried it, regardless (especially if I get a Tennessee tick )

A co-worker of mine was back home and he visited the brewery; he texted me if I wanted anything in particular (he was going to grab something for me regardless). I said I'd reimburse him anything he wanted to pay for and drag home - figuring he's not going to grab me too much. I can't wait for work tomorrow to see what he got me (and then I may have to become "sick" by midday, because otherwise it's still Monday at work).

 

Just rolled into the driveway after a glorious 10-day vacation. It was fun but also busy and a little bittersweet as we deposited both kids at their colleges. Our youngest is a freshman, so we are now empty nesters We will certainly miss them at home, but it's a fantastic time in their lives and just the two of us at home isn't so bad either!

While at the beach, we visited Burley Oak, a great brewery in Berlin, MD (close to Ocean City). They are 4 years old and have a really cool brewpub with friendly staff, a great building, and outstanding beers. In fact, we loved all but one of the 8-9 beers we tried (their barrel-aged barleywine was a bit too heavy on the oak for us, but will probably age really well). Their Kolsch, their hoppy beers, porter, barleywine and sours - everything was really, really good. I cannot recommend this place enough, and we will definitely be back.

They package two offerings, and we picked up a sixer of Secret Sauce, their IIPA. While we tasted it, today was the first proper experience with a pint glass from one of the cans:

Striking dark faintly hazy amber color in the glass, with a 2-finger off white sudsy head that left behind nice lacy tracks. I found this complex, with plenty of malt, citrus, orange, grapefruit and pine on the nose. The taste was similar, with an added subtle spiciness and a nice mix of juicy hop flavor with pine and dankness. Medium bodied and medium carbed with a nice feel and a dry finish. The bitterness is "gentle" and to me suggests mostly late hop additions - no tingling bitterness up front. I could drink this all day, and now it's also sentimental, as it reminds me of our great week on the Eastern Shore.
Cheers all!

 

Well if your ever in NH we do a thing here called Newton's Revenge a little 9.18 mile ride up MT Washington 6288 of elevation gain and grades up to 19%. The pro's are around 45 minutes but at age 60 the best I have is 1hour and 23 minutes. A great ride to the top of NH.

 

Ha! If it's cans he was grabbing I believe there was a short run of All Green Everything that was gone by mid-day yesterday, and there was enough Green Diamonds to carry over into today. If he got you both, than you would be a lucky man. Here's hoping for a nice surprise on your end!

 

Trying out this here Hop Knife...

Kinda in-between an IPA and APA. Had some dark citric and pine elements on the nose and tongue, with a clean malt grain bill beneath. Good weight and feel. The bitterness was solidly expressed. Left a nice after-taste...

Finished watching the Hannibal series - glad its over lol - in the end they tried to adapt some of the Red Dragon's plotlines, but it was just a series in a nosedive all season. No meaningful preseason stuff for me today either but I'll probably have the Oakland-Arizona game on later. Watch the Arizona sidelines for Jen Welter, the first woman to hold any form of coaching position in the NFL, serving as an intern working with the linebackers. Her internship concludes with their game at Denver next week. Earlier today saw Sarah Thomas, the NFL's first full-time female official, before the Houston-Saints game...

Cheers...

 

Nice Barley Oak Glass. They are doing an awesome job at Barley Oak from the beers I've had, just haven't had a chance to get to the the brewery.

 

My second beer for this NBS is also from Night Shift and it is there 8/19 batch of Morph.

This beer changes with every batch as the name suggests. This batch IMO may be the best they have ever made. lots of citrus overtones with a very strong peach taste IMO. A very smooth mouth feel with no aftertaste. I'd like to write a longer review but the simplicity of this great blend of hops kind of leaves me at a lost for words.

 

That's a great take on that beer. I hadn't thought that until you said "halfway between an IPA and an APA. But I'm in agreement with that......the malt does have a Pale Ale quality to it. I enjoyed it.

 

Cannot recommend it highly enough! Besides all the ones, I mentioned, their Belgian IPA was the only one in that style that I have actually enjoyed. Hope you get there soon.

 

New Pumpkin Ale

We're back from the zoo and ready for round 2. No, I don't teach poetry.

12 oz. bottle from Copper Vine ($1.79) dated 072915, poured into a Stone IRS snifter.

A- A normal pour creates 1-1/2 fingers of khaki head that drops to a light foam. The body is a clean, reddish/burgundy. Lacing is on the light side.

S- Contrary to the couple of reviews I read, I get a good deal of chai (a very common drink for my wife). There's a good deal of spice and herbs. I don't know that pumpkin generally lends much to a beer in itself (other than starch and fermentables). Hints of nutty and caramel aromas with warmth.

T- Just like a differently spiced pumpkin beer. I suppose you can chalk it up to chai spice instead of the pumpkin pie spices usually associated with the style. I get some cinnamon and ginger, maybe a little black pepper.

M- Medium body with light carbonation. A little residual chalky feel.

O- A different take on a classic fall style. I'm not "wowed," but it's a pretty good beer all the same. Not going to seek it out, wouldn't refuse one either.

A- 3.75 S- 4 T-3.75 M- 3.75 O- 3.75

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/11814/136825/?ba=GRPunk