New Beer Sunday (week 553)

Cool post. TY.

 

On to some other tasty notes of goodness with dinner and a friend done...

Harvest - Long Trail Brewing Co.


Long Trail Brewing Co. - Harvest Barn Ale by imbibehour, on Flickr

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Poured from the bottle into a nonic pint glass. Bottled July 1st 2015.

Pretty looker! Deep walnut red body, with a good amount of clarity. Slow rising fine carbonation and almost space galaxy like scene. Head is creamy off tan and makes a simple two fingers. Whipped up like appearance, moderate rentention and good fine bubbles in the make up as well. Real nice looking brown!

Classic toasty nutty aromas. Slightly muted toffee but great brown bread crust action. Nice dry grains as well, but not into powder and flour territory. Deep bouquet. Mild bitterness of nut as well.

Palate takes a much tuned down approach. Light wet malts and more flour grain feels and flavors. Powdery brown bread crust, and some odd fruity esters that have nearly turned sour but not infected. Twinge manages a bit of acrid like grain but not heavily, with an interesting hop angle that comes out somewhere between floral and small earth tones.

Not bad, could be argued a bit old, but still much to enjoy here, just a little odd.

look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75 | BA generated score: 3.92

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Your humble NBS servant apologizes for the tardiness of this submission, NBSers. A full day of travel has left me parched.



4.08/5 rDev +3.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Look: slightly cloudy golden hues, 3 fingers of white head.

Smell: Citra hops absolutely dominate the nose. I love Citra hops, so that is most welcome.

Taste: the prototypical saison yeast is present, the Citra hops are present, but it's just a smidge thin.

Feel: bubbly, dry goodness.

Overall: very nice by Pipeworks, just wish there was a bit more oooomph behind this. Still a great sipper on a warm fall night in Minnesota.

 

I've been trying to thin out my beer fridge(s) as my family is moving. We've been busy patching, painting and organizing the new house. This might be the only new beer I have since all
money is going towards non-fun purchases like paint and tape, etc.

Watching the eclipse as I type...
Minimal head, deep golden color with streaks of red. Smells of apples, caramel, raisins.

Taste is similar. Apple, brown sugar, toffee, raisins and pear.
Mouthfeel is rich, sweet, coating.

I have to say I'm pretty proud of myself for picking out apple. I had no idea what a Calvados cask was until I googled it. I thought I was making up the apple smell/taste in this beer.

 

This makes me sad. I have only one left from the case I got a few weeks ago.

 

Taking a break from grading papers to try a new beer and check out the eclipse. Now up are great beer thanks to @bstyle 3 Floyds Moloko, cheers!
4.47/5 rDev +8.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Thank you bstyle for this one!
22 oz bottle, dated August 2015, poured into a teku

A- Black with a four finger mocha head.

S- Some roasted coffee, caramel malts, bakers chocolate, some lactose, smell creamy and smooth.

T- Sweeter than the nose, milk chocolate, hints of coffee, caramel malts, lactose, very well balanced.

M- Smooth, creamy, medium body.

O- A well done milk stout, very tasty. Meets the high standards I expect out of 3 Floyds. Worth seeking out.

 

and finally one last for the night... definitely getting into the season...

Oktoberfest - Goose Island Beer Co.


Goose Island Brewing - Goose Oktoberfest by imbibehour, on Flickr

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Poured from the bottle into a stein? You mean one I can't see through? I'll say hmm.. Let's go for a good German mug and call it even… ok DONE!

Big aggressive pour makes a fistful as expected but also a real nice light tan head makeup. Good retention on this guy, some soapy bubbles but also a frothy to foamy makeup… nearly creamy too. Body color is a good crystal clear deep polished copper, thick reds and lots of whispy carbonation. Great looking marzen.

Toffee like aromas and classic clover flavors hit the nose nicely. Sharp and spicy with a good balanced sweetness, fine hints of maple sugar and mixing toffee like caramels as well. Excellent sugar aroma that isn't overly large either, giving hints of vanilla and syrup so slightly.

Palate strikes a great balance in malt thickness, flavors, and diversity. Thick malt body with not overly syrupy tendencies. Sticky body feel and stuck yeast and caramel thickness. Big yeasty finish on this which manages some controlled sticky qualities but could be off putting to others. Sweet caramel notes fill the mid palate, and a little bit of spicy clove at play as well.

An interesting marzen with a big yeast punch which certainly makes it interesting.

look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4 | BA score : 4.12

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I am always on the look out for more Marzens / Oktos in Fall! Prost!

 

You lose street cred for using a mason jar. At least get a Flintstones jelly jar.

 

Good evening NBS, hope everyone is enjoying the end of the weekend once again. Thanks to @cavedave for getting us started off today. I couldn't fall asleep last night, so I ended up doing 2 hours of trainer biking and watched a few episodes of psych on Netflix. I also did all my laundry and stuff. I dry hopped for the first time in primary on Thursday night(Equinox/Zythos Rye IPA). I am going to wait 1 or 2 more days and they I will keg it up and gelatinize it when it's cold like normal. Siphon through a strainer bag usually works solidly. I was waiting to make sure I had a keg before doing so. Big props to Adventures in Homebrewing for amazing fast service and prices. I ordered a used keg on Tuesday night, shipped Wednesday, at my door Thursday morning. 5 dollar Great lakes area shipping prices for most things except SS fermenters and other huge stuff. And to top it all off they gave me a free set of O rings. Keg arrived under high pressure, so it's good to go. I have a feeling I will be shopping online again very soon (grain mill/stir plate time).

Here are today's new beers:

Good pumpkin ale. Head retention was good, with a lingering cap and spotty lacing down the glass. Aromas and flavors of pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, brown sugar, light caramel, toasted bread, light smoke, and herbal/spice earthiness. Light-moderate herbal/spice bitter finish; with a smooth and crisp finish with light creaminess and slight spice stickiness in the mouthfeel. Well rounded and balanced malt and spice flavors; along with bitterness. Moderately dry finish; but was still quite flavorful. A lot drier than expected, but that also made it extremely drinkable; and the alcohol presence was zero. I wouldn't mind having it again. 3.68


Heaven in a glass. Nails it out of the park just as well as Even More Jesus. Assuming 2015 vintage, as I got it this year. Dense motor oil pour with impressive dense head retention. Lingering cap and spotty lacing all around. Aromas and flavors of huge dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, fudge, dark bread, molasses, licorice, raisin, prune, fig, leather, tobacco, wood smoke, light char, and herbal/light peppery hops. Good sized herbal/spicy/roast bitter finish; with great bitter/sweet balanced finish. Huge creamy, slick, silky mouthfeel with some sticky/chalky hop/roast malt notes; insane mouthfeel. Super intense and complex flavors all around. Very smooth sipping with restrained alcohol warmth after the finish. I'd almost call this nearly identical to Even More Jesus, but it seems to be a bit stronger on the earthy/spicy hoppiness and overall bitterness; but it doesn't detract from the overall profile of the beer. Seems to dry it out a bit more and make it smoother. Blew me away once again. 4.52


April 2015 bottling. This was incredible! Foamy head with plenty of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas and flavors of big bright peach, pineapple, tangerine, lemon peel, mango, melon, passion fruit, berry, pepper, pine, cracker, bread, hay, straw, grass, light musty funk, and yeast/oaky earthiness. Good sized peppery yeast spiciness and piney hop bitterness; with a really damn dry finish with some light lingering hop stickiness after the finish. Huge carb, crisp finish; just downright incredible mouthfeel. Just all around fantastic balance between mosaic hops and fruity/spicy brett complexities; with a touch of noticeable oak character. Super drinkable. I will probably be buying more, even at the price; once in a while will be ok. Glad we can get these in MI state now at least. 4.4


Cheers, have a good night NBS!

 

Mikkeller Monk's Brew (Bourbon Barrel Aged)
Look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

375ml bottle poured into a snifter. I love Belgian Quads and I also love bourbon barrel aged beers so I am excited to try this brew. Dark fruits and bourbon stand out in both the aroma and taste. The taste is pretty hot with a lot of warmth from the alcohol. The taste may have been more suitable after another year or two. Overall, a solid brew that I enjoyed.

 

It was a tough call, but color matters to me - especially with this style. I definitely understand your perspective & unfortunately I don't have a pic of the lacing - but it WAS indeed above-average.
I tend to hold Red Ales to an especially high appearance standard, simply 'cause I've had a few that were truly things of beauty - at least from a 'look' standpoint. The most recent being Smuttynose Kindest Find, which (in my opinion) was vastly more impressive visually in every category.
I suppose one could argue that nothing can be done about the head, retention & lacing as well, along with the color. I really tried to give this one the benefit of the doubt, as (for me) 3.75 is a good average-to-above average baseline.
Appreciate the feedback :-)

 

Did you taste any black coffee in it? I had it last week and it was very heavy, and bitter black coffee all around. Still enjoyable just expected some sweetness. Cheers.

 

What's your favorite gose out of curiosity?

 

I was inspired by @beertunes and @Bitterbill who also drank this today, Black Butte XXVII. It's a beaut. Pretty damn incredible.



Look at that beautifully creamy, milkshake head:



4.39/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Served in an oversized tulip.

Chewy khaki-colored head. Thick and heavy in substance. Ebony body settles into the glass black as night. Great persistence to the head. Such an elegant look to this beer. Gorgeous. Still admiring the beer 5 minutes later and a coffee shake-like head remains thick and creamy. 5

Pungent with fruit and caramel. Get some tart fruit and jam sweetness. Oak and vanilla. Faint spiciness from bourbon and some dark roast malt buried in the middle of everything. 4

There's the bourbon front and center on the palate with some spicy kick that competes with tart apricot and jam for my palate's love. Dark roast malt and a touch of coffee, pungent tobacco, vanilla and dark chocolate. So much dimension and so much to enjoy. 4.5

Light- to medium-bodied but still creamy and rich. Tart and fruity when it's not roasted and bitter. Excessively easy to drink given the ABV and the alcohol never appears. 4.25

This is a standout. Love the battle between the dark and bitter and the tart and fruity.

 

Hey again, fellow NBS-ers! It's been a while finally getting back over here, but I finally made it with one more new brew. I spent most of the afternoon watching Drunk History with the GF...& patiently waiting to watch some football. Not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon, still, it's good to be here sharing another new beer with ya'll :-)
Anyhow, I think I might be the last one on this site to get around to it, but here goes:

Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest 2015


First, some BA stuff:

A: 3.75, S: 4, T: 4, M: 3.75, O: 4, BA says: 3.96

My official review:
12oz bottle into a Sam Adams perfect pint.

A: Pours a vibrant clear copper with 1/4" white head that recedes very slowly. Retention is surprisingly good, lacing is nonexistent.

S: Prominent graham cracker malt & hints of spice. Cinnamon, nutmeg & a generally toasty quality. There's a very subtle hop note underneath it all, it providing a slight punctuation to an already-deep malt profile.

T: Comes on spicy, with big nutmeg & hints of black pepper. This leads seamlessly into the malty mid palate, which focuses more the ginger/bready character. The finish becomes gradually more bitter, with more traces of nutmeg & an interesting off-sweet character.

M: Moderate carb married to a medium, malty body that still maintains a very drinkable dry, crisp quality.

O: This is an exceptional example of the style.

So, I see what I've been missing this season. It's a real gem, I'm glad to have tried it & to have had a chance to share my notes with you folks :-)

Wishing you all good beer & good cheer!

 

Thanks! There's some really good beer here. Cheers!

 

That one is sooo good. Wicked Weed has been awesome.

 

Greetings NBS friends! I'm going to sneak one in after a long drive from Prescott to Telluride. It feels great to finally sit down and relax. I had this beer on tap at the brewery and decided to buy a bomber to go for a proper review. It's Lumberyard Brewing Co. Flagstaff IPA with no apparent date on the bottle, and an abv. of 6.1%. Let's have a taste!

It pours a beautiful deep amber color with a crazy amount of frothy white foam. A very lively beer despite a careful pour. Aroma is pine, grapefruit and floral esters. The flavor is pine, bitter grapefruit, and sweet malt in the finish. There is a floral quality that becomes more pronounced as you work through the bottle. The feel is pretty full for an IPA.



Overall a quality IPA by a brewery that became my go to while in Arizona. It has a nice balance of hop bite and malt, with a crisp finish. I liked this beer and would recommend. My score was a 3.92 / rDev +3.2%.

Time to step back outside and see what's left of the lunar eclipse. Have a great week gang!



The link to my review.....

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/23675/64189/?ba=Prager62