New Beer Sunday (week 550)

Rumpelstiltskin Hefeweizen from Demented Brewing a brand new brewery in Middlesex NJ. A pretty nice hefe 4.8 ABV with 10IBU. There is a nice banana and clove aroma and taste, very light body and a dry finish. An enjoyable and refreshing brew.

 

There has been a fair bit of posts about Oktoberfest beers so I figured I would ‘double-dip’ with an Oktoberfest beer I had yesterday.

My wife and I went into the city (Philadelphia) yesterday to run some errands and we decided to stop by Brauhaus Schmitz for a beer. We both ordered a half liter of beer (pictured below); she selected a Traunstein Dunkel while I opted for a Hofbrauhaus Traunstein Brauhaus Schmitz Oktoberfest beer.

The Traunstein Brauhaus Schmitz Oktoberfest beer is only available at Brauhaus Schmitz and it is specially brewed for them by Hofbräuhaus Traunstein, a brewery in Traunstein, southeastern Bavaria, Germany.

I have had a number of Traunstein beers and they have all been excellent so I had high hopes for this Oktoberfest beer. As you can see in the photograph it is a Pale Oktoberfest beer in the Wiesn style.

I will not conduct a full review but I will state that this beer is EXCELLENT. I wish this beer was more readily available but at least I got a chance to try one.

My wife’s Dunkel was very good (I had a sip).

Cheers to Hofbrauhaus Traunstein!!

 

[ Earlier I was minding my own business as my wife, in stealth-mode, walks up behind me and starts looking over my shoulder as I work on this NBS post on the iPad. ]

Wife: “What’s that?”

Me: [ dammit ]
“Uuuh. This is the delicious and fabulous beer I’m drinking for New Beer Sunday, Honey. It’s Ommegang 2015 Belgian Independence Day Dry-Hopped with Mandarina Bavarian Hops Tripel in a Duvel Chalice!

[ crickets ]

...and I’ve never had it. The Ommegang connection to Duvel Moortgat is magical. This beer is FANTASTIC!! There's citrus flavors galore! Even pears! And you know how I like a nice pear Honey. Yeasty. Spicy. Sweet candied Succubus juiciness just like any great Tripel! I’m going to highly recommend it to the other NBS’ers. Wanna try it?”

Wife: “Noooooo, I mean the drawing-thing.”

Me: “The what?"

Wife: "That."

Me: "Oh that. It’s a sketch I did in a meeting at work last week. I’m posting it with my NBS beer. I think my NBS’er beer friends will like it...actually I’m pretty sure they're gonna like it a lot.”

Wife: “Is that what you do at work during meetings!?”

Me: “It’s a sketch.”

Wife: [ sigh ]
“So, are YOU in this sketch?”

Me: “Yes.”

Wife: “You must be the figure floating up, right?”

Me: “Right. [ therapist says I’m always trying to escape ] Well, I might be falling too, but I’m not sure…well, yeah, floating up.”

Wife: “Who’s the girl?”

Me: “What girl?”

Wife: “The one bending over with the big boobs standing on the phallic symbol.”


[ crickets ]


Me: “WHAT?! THAT’S A MUSHROOM! …wow, you’re dirty.”

Wife: “Why does the girl have a beer on her butt? IS that even a beer?”

Me”: “Yes, it’s a Duvel chalice and it's a Beer Succubus performing an evil trick to lure men.”

Wife: “What’s a Beer Suc…oh never mind. So who’s hanging from her hair?”

Me: “Honey, it’s not a 'her'! It’s a nasty horrible beer-demon that seduces men and has wild unprotected (and sometimes painful) sex with them totally against their will and then drags their tortured souls to hell where the Duvel is waiting. Uh, that’s @WesMantooth hanging on 'her' hair.”

Wife: “Who’s the one falling? I guess he’s not going to make it.”

Me: That’s probably @jzeilinger.

 

Now up more lower ABV beer from Burley Oak, Sorry Chicky.
4.2/5 rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

12 oz can poured into tulip

A- A slightly hazy golden straw color with a small, quickly fading white head.

S-Sour, getting limes and lemons, hints of wheat, with a nice mix of citrus and herbal hops. Intense and month watering of you like sour.

T- Sour, but not as intense as the nose, nice light maltiness, limes, lemons, a hoppy fruitiness, light herbal quality, touch of lacto.

M- Smooth, crisp, light body.

O- A solid dry hopped sour. Easy drinking, worth the price. (477 characters)

 

This brew pours a cloudy copper color with a small off white head, some of which remains as a collar. Almost no lacing; lots of sediment suspended in the glass.

The smell is fruity and malty; musty straw and wet hay. Spices, possibly coriander and grains of paradise. Some caramel malt as well.

The taste is malty, sweet, slightly spicy, nothing really pops though. There is a somewhat dry finish, slightly grainy. Not an amazing Tripel, not bad though. The best beer in this series is the Smaug Stout.

 

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Kudos, my friend. Best one yet IMO. Now I want to review the Grain of Truth I have back home, but alas...

 

Tell her I am all about the scenery, and the view is spectacular.

 

Haven't made it to NBS in awhile; every weekend has been grass-cutting time, then hay fever time, and hay fever time is no time to shake hands with a new beer. Hoping to make up for some lost time today.

First up is a NC beer that I've somehow never tried:

People's Porter - Foothills Brewing Company, Winston-Salem NC
3.9/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

People's Porter pours to a thick, lingering creamy light-tan head atop an effervescent, turbid deep-brown body with dirty ruby highlights; lacing consists of moderate rafts and swoops. The nose is fairly assertive for the style: a nice blend of dark roasted malt flavors, predominately cocoa, dark toffee and bitter chocolate. Up front, the palate is tart, thinnish bitter milk chocolate; mid-palate, a significant toffee presence and a hint of sweetness build in, joined at the back by faint alcohol undertones. The finish is a brief flash of molasses and toffee, followed by the onset of a moderate chocolatey bitterness that lingers awhile. Mouthfeel is appropriate for the medium body, and the texture is slightly creamy and peppery from the fizzy carbonation. (764 characters)

OldManMetal, A moment ago



Will drink again.

 

You're not the last one, believe me.

 

@ Natty Greene's in Greensboro NC, having their Wilderflower imperial wit. Wonderfully soapy and floral, pours with a viscous foamy head - wildflower nose, phenolic. Hides the 9.4 alcohol well. Happy Sunday!

 

I always appreciate the comparisons and attention to detail.
Thanks and Cheers

 

Again @LeperJim , this is gold! You could have a career in all of those craft beer/stand up comedy crossover joints.

Oh...and how was the Belgian Independence Day?

 

Hello, fellow NBSers! I hope this day finds you well with plenty of good food, drinks, and merriment.

My wife and I took Friday off, making this a much needed 4-day weekend, which we've spent BBQing and relaxing with friends. Today and tomorrow will be more of the same. A cool breeze is rolling through the windows here (though it still about 80 degrees outside), music is playing, and a cold beer has been poured. This week I am trying a brew about which I've heard many good things, Ballast Point's Calm Before The Storm. Let's get into it...



A: Golden brown body with a big, foamy white head on top. Carbonation looks aggressive.

S: Coffee dominates, followed by a bready maltiness and faint hop aroma. Smells good.

T: Wow, this is interesting. And delicious! Bitter coffee up front is smoothed out by a nice vanilla sweetness. Hopiness definitely shows up as well, and the entire gulp is finished off by more bitterness and sharp carbonation. Awesome!

M: Creamy is the best word to describe it. The carbonation is ample and the favors are pronounced.

O: This was my first cream ale and I didn't really know what to expect. However, given BP's reputation for outstanding beers, I was confident it would be something great. And it is! The flavors are excellent and work well together. Although I wouldn't drink more than one or two in a sitting, this beer is fantastic and I'm glad I picked it up.

Score: 95/100

Reggae will serve as the soundtrack for today's imbibing, starting off with Slightly Stoopid - 2am. Cheers!

 

New American IPA

It's a beeeaaauuutiful day in West MI. Temps are topping out in the low 90s and the skies are blue. After knocking out some errands, hitting the pool sounds awfully good. I'm hoping to get in a second review later.

It's back to the classroom with students on Tuesday morning, but the long Labor Day celebration has tapped a real winner of a new beer. A big tip of the glass to my brothers and sisters who brought us this holiday weekend.

Oh, another bonus from the weekend...while hosting a watch party for the Western/State throwball game on Firday, my wife decided she enjoys stouts (after a Lagunitas imperial stout nonetheless). Let the fun begin.

Short's Sticky Icky Icky
12 oz. bottle (dated 08/03/15, $1.89 from Copper Vine). Poured into a Samuel Smith imperial pint glass.

A- A cautious pour creates 1-finger of off-white head that drops to a light, soapy film. The body is a hazy, golden-orange that I could mistake for a fruit juice. Light carbonation and awesome sticky spots get left behind.

S- Oh, that's nice. Lots of fresh grapefruit and sweet melon and pineapple aromas. A good mix of hops and malty scents. There's an underlying malt sweetness.

T- Up front there's a combination of grainy malts and leafy hops. Through the middle there is a sweet malt quality, like Hawaiian bread maybe. The finish is a solid dose of juicy, grapefruit hops with a spicy quality later still. More sips and I start to get more cracker-like and doughy malts. Some peppery notes as well.

M- It's full-bodied with a good, hoppy bite. The juicy and sweet qualities lend a syrupy feel, but it gets rather dry in the finish.

O- This is a really solid American IPA. It's quite hoppy, but a quality, malty backbone lends a level of balance I crave from the style. I'd definitely buy this one again when I'm looking to please a hoppy urge.

A-4 S-4 T-4.25 M-3.75 O-4

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/9629/102922/?ba=GRPunk

 

So on to some stout action

Sixpoint Four Bean



I feel like I am imagining something in the nose because I'm getting a lot of wine or sour fruit before the cocoa flitters around a bit.

Similar initially in the taste as I get a touch of tart vinous something until dark chocolate makes an appearance, Finished by a touch of spice and faint ginger, maybe ginseng on the very end.

 

Thanks!

Belgian Independence Day Tripel is worth celebrating every year! Really refreshing on this hot Ohio day pushing 90 degrees. Complex yeasty fruitiness and the pear component is upfront IMO and delicious. Ommegang genius.

 

This was bottled in July and released in August. So this is brand new. Backlash of Holyoke, Massachusetts is celebrating their fourth anniversary with this one time offering called Oath. This is a Saison brewed with Kaffur lime leaves, toasted peppercorns, 2 yeast strains, and 2 hops. Delicate and refreshing all around. A modest citrus and tart note on the nose and those toasted peppercorns arise quickly at the finish to make this a highly enjoyable and easy drinking brew. Only available now and once it's gone, it's gone. Happy Anniversary Backlash Beer Company.

 

Judging by the label I wasn't sure what to expect. My initial thought was just a hefe fermented with some brett yeast. This beer was surprisingly good though. It definitely hit the spot after a long day of biking part of the Great Allegheny Passage. This beer was very crisp and refreshing. Showed glimpses of a hefe but the esters weren't as pronounced as in your typical hefe. It also has some earthy/grassy flavors and aromas to go with it (could possibly be from a brett strain, idk). Good mouth feel, maybe a touch undercarbonated, but thats just pulling hairs, I think. Anyway, this beer was an overall winner for me.

 

My freaking word. @LeperJim you continue to hit the spot with your tongue in cheek scenarios. Please keep on doing want you do. Always seems to come at a time I really need it too. Excellent!