New Beer Sunday (week 557)

Ok, my previous beer is behind me. On to a brewery who started distributing near me a few months back, but now I am seeing more and more of their 25oz bottles (no top of the initial shipment of their 22oz). This brewery I think is known for fairly straightforward takes, focusing on making them well. Let's see what AleSmith can do with this beer, Horny Devil:


Pours a golden-to straw color and very clear, with a manhole cover of foamy head atop the surface. Beautiful!

The nose hit me just before I started pouring, and was definitely what the label says - a spiced Belgian. Although not quite the same style, it reminded me a lot of Allagash White. Belgian esters of banana with a little indistinguishable light fruit tart note as well. Spice is present initially but seems to fade.

The notes from the nose are all represented in the taste. However, the banana takes a back seat to an apple pulp sweet fruitiness, but not too sweet. I think there may be extra sweetness that isn't necessary (in my opinion) from the use of Candi sugar. The spice also bites into the palate early (perhaps aided by a prickly carbonation feel), and lingers in an almost white pepper taste in the end. The beer has a nice light feel to it, but also has a nice depth of flavor.


Very enjoyable, but perhaps a little sweeter than I'd like. It crosses many t's and dots a lot of i's for what you'd expect from the style. This isn't at all a surprise based on what I am finding from this brewery. This beer is just off from being a home run to me, if the sweetness were just a tad less. You shouldn't pass it up, though, if you have a chance, in my opinion.

 

Nope. Didn't appear to be on in my neck of the woods and I wasn't in the mood to watch football on the interwebs - a pity as I always get a kick out of watching NFL games in London, what with the fans wearing shirts and jerseys of all the NFL teams. One of them years ago had fans pissed about the winning team doing the victory formation kneel down - they wanted to see a real play every damn time! Instead I've oscillated between Jets-Pats and a replay of my high school's game from a night or two ago in between bouts of housework.

 

Good afternoon BAs! It's been a mellow, warm rainy fall weekend down here, with changing colors not quite at their peak. We're watching the Titans, who are fighting for their first home win since the Bush administration (not really, but a ridiculous home losing streak). Time for a new beer!

Sierra Nevada Harvest Northern Hemisphere Wet Hop IPA


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

Beautiful clear golden-copper hue with a thick creamy light tan head. The foam kept me company for the entire pint, slipping into a thin cap with huge lacy trails. The bottle art and the label notes made me picture a truckload of freshly picked Yakima hops, and I certainly smelled them on the nose. Bright pine, grass, grapefruit, orange and a bit of toast and caramel. Not as in your face as many current copiously dry-hopped IPAs but pleasing and more complex than many of them. The taste followed nicely, with pine, earth tones, orange, grapefruit, resiin and enough malt to balance it. The feel was outstanding: medium bodies with a creamy carbonation and a clean finish. Another amazing SN brew. Cheers!

 

New Festbier Sunday (week 557)

Greetings fellow NBSers from on the ridge in Mid Hud Val, NY. Lovely day here, following a rainy night and drizzly morn, Indian Summer in full gear. Hard morning of work, got some marvelous gifts from customers who love to show off their skill in the garden and appreciation of the madman of recycling I am. Another ten pounds of tomatillos destined for the pot where they will simmer with homegrown garlic, onions, sea salt, and habaneros to end as salsa verde. Already 2 gallons made, and in freezer. Late season tomatoes, Japanese pears, another 15 pounds of green peppers, and a couple of beautiful squash all await their turn to be enjoyed. Nothing beats fresh grown goodness.

I have numerous new beers to try, but music practice was moved to today, and I have to watch overdoing it. Hard to keep a beat when you are snockered I have found. This beer, though, is perfect. Low alcohol (for style) easy drinking, tasty, and goes extremely well with cheese and peanuts I am eating. It is of the new genre of lighter flavored and thinner bodied marzens, but is perhaps a bit too light, even a touch watery. I am definitely enjoying it, though I would recommend one of the other better Oktoberfestbiers, such as Ayinger or Spaten, over this one.

Hope you also have a Great Beer in your glass. Cheers!

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/252/6861/?ba=cavedave



One of my early influences in writing lyrics. Ah you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction.

 

Finally trying this for the first time. I gotta say the hype hurts it a bit. Overall it was a little too sweet. Nice notes of bourbon and vanilla. Left a nice warm boozy aftertatse. I get a subtle chocolaty flavor and it's pretty smooth but the biggest thing I take away is sweet. This pretty much reminds me of Jackie O's ba Dark App. I'm now interested to try bcbcs, I think the coffee will add some complexity and the bitterness of coffee will help temper the sweetness.

 

New Am. Stout Sunday
Greeting NBSer's,
This is the 3rd weekend I spent at least part of it away from home. Yesterday made a trip to Fargo for a wedding and checked out this place.

On the way through Moorhead MN (just across the river from Fargo) were large grain bins with a Budweiser sign across them all sitting next to train tracks. I don't know if Bud mills its own grain but an early stage certainly witnessed there.
Fargo brewery seems to be attending to stouts right now at the brewery I had a delicious Sweet Stout (no milk in that one).
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/27076/183975/?ba=garymuchow
6-packs can be purchased at the brewery and I brought home another stout, which I didn't like as much as the first one, but is enjoyable on it's own terms.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/27076/196842/
After the local Purple finishes the game, will head outside to address stuff to prepare for winter. It continues to be an exceptional year for weather in these part.
Best to all.

 

Great review....had my first Java Power yesterday and was impressed with the distinct fresh coffee flavor while still having great hop character. Best Box o Hops yet!!!

 

Good afternoon BA, it's been a while, but I've been saving a fun treat from my Chicago trip last week just to sample it with you good folks on New Beer Sunday. It's a glorious cool autumn afternoon here in Indianapolis, and after running some errands, I'm home and ready to dig into a brew or two... first up, Ninja vs. Unicorn from Pipeworks.



Pours a rich amber with plenty of head, which sticks around to form solid lacing that lasts clear through until the end. The nose is subdued, but pleasantly fruity - primarily pineapple but with a good dose of grapefruit. Fairly light body with a crisp mouthfeel from the solid carbonation, and a lightly bitter finish with few lingering flavors. Extremely solid - yet another Chicago brewery that I would *love* to see distribute down here in Indy.

Cheers BA!

 

New Pumpkin Ale

It's a gorgeous day in West MI. Skies are blue with puffy white clouds. Temps hovering around 60.

It's been a great weekend. My wife and I headed down to our old stomping ground of Kalamazoo to see a friend in a one man stage production Friday night. A stop at Olde Peninsula did the trick as well.

Today started with a family breakfast, grocery shopping, and a decent run (I'm attempting my first Beer Mile next weekend). I took a lunch break with this one. Tonight it's carving pumpkins and relaxing before another work week.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/392/25880/?ba=GRPunk

Weyerbecher Imperial Pumpkin Ale
12 oz. bottle (dated 07/10/15 and 03/10/16, I assume bottled and consume by dates?), $3.29 from Copper Vine. Poured into Duvel tulip.

A- A normal pour creates 1-finger of khaki head that quickly drops to the lightest lace. Carbonation continues to bubble to the surface. The body is a hazy, orange-brown with some floaties. Very light stick is left on the glass.

S- A mix of sweet and pumpkin spice, heavy on the nutmeg. It has a bit of an alcohol kick. Hints of canned and fresh pumpkin pulp. Sweeter than I'd expected, but pleasantly so.

T- Hmm... That's pretty good. Sweet and boozy up front. Spice comes in through the middle and leaves a slight lingering presence. That said, things end up relatively clean.

M- Medium-full body is pretty viscous. Light carbonation can't keep up. Lightly chalky. Dry finish.

O- A very solid pumpkin ale on the higher end of the ABV scale. Better than a lot of traditional versions, but not quite as good as most of the imperial ones. Doesn't necessarily "wow" me for the price.

A- 3.5 S- 4.25 T- 4 M- 3.75 O- 4

 

Happy New Belgian Strong Pale Ale Sunday!

Pretty nice 60/sunny day on the Western Slopes. Just as I expected from this brewery, nothing less.

2011 Coming Home Holiday Ale - Grand Teton Brewing Co.



http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/413/75926/?ba=Wasatch

Cheers!

 

I'm a very big fan of Newport Storm brew's, I've had a bunch of the early 2000 brew's, very very tasty!

Cheers!

 

Happy New Beer Sunday, Fellow BAs! Today's beer is Creature Comforts Brewing Company's See the Stars, a maple bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout.



Pours a nearly opaque dark brown, verging on black. Thin tan head that settles to a thin collar that generally remains.

Aroma of maple, vanilla, and oak, immediately follows by sweet bready malt reminscent of Wonder Bread. A hint of coconut and some prominent booziness follows.

Taste is sweet with maple and bourbon notes making themselves known and malts following behind. Almost--just almost--like pancakes and syrup in the glass. Except for the fact that the alcohol is quite present and threatens to upend the sweetness with outright heat.

Mouthfeel is thicker that I might have expected for a barrel aged stouts, no doubt aided by the prior use of maple syrup.

In sum, a great imperial stout. Hype? What is that? I could care less. But what I will say is that this a fantastic barrel aged stout. Cheers!

 

The wife flew out to Dallas this morning, I made a beer run and here I am. This new beer was in the fridge for review tomorrow, but since I've never posted on this thread, here goes. I wish I had planned to post today so I could have had a better beer, but ... Red Hook's Out of Your Gourd Pumpkin Porter (2.82)...ya dance with the one ya brought...



BOD 7/14/15. Pours dark as a starless night. When held to intense light it becomes a rich deep dried blood garnet - suitable this close to All Hallows Eve. The head volume is normal as is retention. Lacing is above normal.

The nose is a touch light, but delivers a fairly strong pumpkin over hints of chocolate and roast.

Light medium body with a smooth texture that lacks any creamy characteristics. Barely normal carbonation with a hint of effervescence in the middle and a slightly stronger finish.

The flavor profile is almost good primarily due to its balance and complexity. Intensity is lacking, being more like a very light version of a porter. It begins with a pleasant blend of flavors that slowly separate. It delivers only hints however, rather than bold flavor assertions. Chocolate, roast and pumpkin wander over a subtle spice note. Unfortunately, the spices are so light they are indistinguishable from each other. Bitterness is very subtle and has more of a roast quality. The finish is a slow fade of the aforementioned light flavors with pumpkin leading the fading pack.

This one, sadly, is more of a trick than a treat.

 

Weyerbacher Althea. I'm a big fan of Weyerbacher but this dubbel is way too sour for my taste. Perhaps I bought a bad bottle.

 

Went for a nature hike and took my 2 dogs. I can't get over how nice it is today for this time of year. Cut the grass after we returned home, now enjoying a Daisy Cutter.

A nice golden apricot color with a 2.5 finger foamy white head. Awesome retention and lacing on the glass. Aromas of wet, resinous, dank hops and some sweet caramel malts. A good amount of citrus and pine kick it off, followed by some light grapefruit; layers of bready and caramel malts. A nice light, but sticky feel that drys as it goes down. Easy drinking and very flavorful APA for any day!

 

Weyerbacher has always been a favorite of mine.

Cheers!

 

Enjoying this Sensi 2015...

The 12/25 best buy date prolly indicates a 9/25-ish canning date (based on this post)...

This beer is all about that fresh, chewy wet hop action.

I get lots of sticky resinous pine hoppage with a dry side of grapefruit pith. The malts are just an accessory to the big tack of bitterness laid across the tongue. Medium-feel, only a moderate bit of carbonation expressed on the tongue. Subdued fruits and their sugars more appreciable on the warming.

Here's to new beer in your glass...

 

Good Afternoon NBS, To Ol this time Gose to Hollywood.
A wonderful execution of Gose with tropical fruits, the notes say
orange, I wonder if that's the entire mix. Either way a wonderfully
refreshing offering.
Cheers
Gose To Hollywood

To Øl
Gose / 3.80% ABV

3.94/5 rDev -1% | Avg: 3.98
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Poured from an 11.2 oz bottle, dated(?) 010617 into a small snifter.
A - Cloudy, light golden hue, steady stream of carbonation feeds a jaunty white cap.
S - Fresh tropical fruit, orange, lime, then a sudden twist leads to ash, sea salt and wheat cracker.
T - A hint of salinity, a wonderful orange and tangerine base, float the light touch of salinity, combining make
a wonderful and rich Gose.
F - A body that dances across the palate, initial sour bite subsides quickly, morphing into a citrus sweet touch and exiting with a fine linger kissed with salinity.
O - A wonderful expression and fine example of craft brewing, this offering expands on what Gose's
range can be, Excellent in every way.
Cheers

 

New "Black IPA" Sunday!

The work day started chilly but then smacked me with some 70 degree weather! I like that. That's enough of the Work Day now it's time for the New Brew!



Here's my Thoughts!

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

16.9 ounce bottle into a Curved Pint Glass.

I'm a fan of Maine Beer Company and their Hoppy Offerings. Yet I'm not too much of a fan of Black Ales (Black IPAs). Still reviewing this to style though. Ladies and Gentlemen, let's get started! The first thing I've noticed while opening this brew was a dense citric aroma coming from the bottle before I even poured...that I dig! The appearance is exactly what you would expect out of a Black Ale. Huge black body with dark brown hues and was crowned with Khaki Bubbles.. She does look impressive.

Alright, I'm going in! This starts off with Crazy Citrus! Lemons, Tangerines and Grapefruit assault the nostrils first and with no Mercy! On the second whiff I pick up aromas of dense Pine that has been slapped with Coffee Roast. There's a mild hint of toffee in the distance, pretty outstanding really.

Let me taste this brew now! First roasted malts shine forth with notes of day old Coffee that had some Cocoa chilling in it. Second wave of flavors come in punching with Citrus (Tangerine pith, Grapefruit pith and Lemon zest). There is also notes of Clean Pine in this flavor that I haven't tasted in a long while. Resinous touch is always appreciated from a hoppy brew. This finishes Bone-Dry and Clean. Lingering Toasted malts with Citric and Resinous hops in the aftertaste. The feel on this is very nice and light with a smooth texture on the palate. The carbonation is tight and poppin.

Overall: I am not over the moon with this style, but Maine Beer Company has an Impressive Black Ale here. The malts and hops are at a balance with each other. The Hop profile is very dense for its Modest ABV, with that Citric and Pine aroma/flavor. The only set back from me really enjoying this offering is how dry this brew is. A little bit more malt Sweetness could've made this thing really sing! But it is what it is. At the end of the day I found this brew to be Outstanding and Recommended!

Grade: A-

Cheers my Fellow New Beer Sunday Crew!

P.S. I am not a fan of Cascadian Black Ales, but this one was Worthy! I just don't agree with Roasted Malts helping Hop Oils to Shine on the palate. This was damn impressive to me though.