New Beer Sunday (week 558)

Sorry friend. My dogs keep me company, make me laugh, and I'll always have them around. I miss my Lily as much now as the day the vet came by. Some dogs simply become part of you. Good luck.

 

Good afternoon BAs. After two hours of quality time with Comcast followed by the first half of the Titans game, I definitely need an attitude adjustment! Time for some NBS with Founders Backwoods Bastard:



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

Dark copper, rusty brown color with a moderate tan head. The one-finger head didn't stay around very long, but it left some nice tracks in the glass. The nose was full of whiskey, oak, vanilla, toffee, and plum. After one whiff, I was excited about this and the first taste did not disappoint. My mouth was flooded with waves of whiskey, vanilla, wood, chocolate, plum, and caramel. Very well-balanced - the boozy tones were most prominent but seemed like a great platform for the other players. Nice warming smooth whiskey on the finish. Got even better as it warmed. Creamy mouthfeel with medium carbonation. This is a stellar brew.

Attitude: now adjusted. Cheers!

 

New Berliner Weisse Sunday

Ehh...if I'm going to post in the thread for the first time in years, I might as well make it two.

Still overcast and low 60's in NJ.

I've seen the Smuttynose Strawberry Short Weisse on tap a few times in my area, but I've always passed, because my wife is extremely allergic to strawberries. When I saw bottles of the cherry version, I snapped one up. Here goes.



Despite my vast collection of German glassware, I don't actually have a proper Berliner Weisse glass, so my Weihenstephaner Weizen glass will have to do.

The beer pours out a pinkish, peach sort of hue with some off-white foam that rapidly dissipates.

The aroma is an intermingling of tart and sweet, with a candy-like quality.

There's definitely some puckering sourness. It's followed by some cherry candy and finishes with some real acidity. The carbonation is pretty aggressive, giving the whole thing a very spritzy mouthfeel.

It's a nice take on the style, if a little straightforward. I've seen that they're releasing the smoked peach version later this month and I'd love to get my hands on that.

 

Narragansett Lovecraft Series - Reanimator Helles Lager - Narragansett Brewing Co



3.78/5 rDev -1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

This is a good-looking beer: deep gold, crystal clear and sparkling with a giant (pour carefully!) pebbly white head that hangs around for awhile and leaves moderate rafts and ladders of coarse-grained lacing. Once past the appearance, things take a bit of a turn; the name Shelley Frankenstein Helles Lager might be a better choice for this beer, as it seems to have been cobbled together from quite different beers: a helles lager and a mellowish IPA. This becomes apparent on the nose, where the expected blend of spicy noble hops, slightly caramel malt and light fruitiness (apples, in this case) are joined by some unexpected pine and citrus hops notes that actually outweigh the noble hop character. The palate is a bit more intense than would be expected; it leads with tart citrus and pine, joined mid-palate by a lightly-toasted bready malt character and a more assertive moderate-but-strong-for-the-style hoppy bitterness. The finish shows a fair amount of citrusy pine character and a strong carbonation bite, followed by a flash of apple-like sweetness and the onset of a lingering spicy pine hops bitterness that is, again, moderate in intensity but pretty strong for the style (as is its minutes-long duration). Mouthfeel is biggish for the light body, and the texture is slightly creamy and a bit too prickly from the fizzy carbonation. If I was grading this strictly to style, the rating would be at least a point lower; folks who really value successful new takes on old styles might rate this one even higher than I do. I could see this beer being used successfully to wean hop addicts onto malty lagers. (16 oz can, 50 days after pkg)

★ 1,653 characters

OldManMetal, A moment ago Edit Delete

 

Wasn't planning on a 2nd new beer today but saw that recently purchased Moo-Hoo in the vege...beer drawer. Here is the lowdown.

3.82/5 rDev -3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Nice dark beer with a tan head that fades quickly and leaves only traces of lacing. Smells of chocolate, roasted malts and some coffee notes. The taste is mainly chocolate with a bit of roasted malt. Not very bitter but what bitterness it has seems to come from a coffee like flavor as it reminds me a a dark bitter roast. If you like chocolate this is definitely going to deliver.

 

done with chores, so I picked this up because it looked inviting


pours out almost lemon yellow with a nice head that is now a ring

and the smell is of sweetness, I pick up the pear and a smidge of funk



this is really a great beer, sweeter than I expected, I was thinking real sour with a tad of pear, but really, it focuses on the pear,don't get me wrong tho. its not a sweet beer just not bitter . carbonation in the mouth is good, smooooth finish!
i'll go back to binnys to get another for sure!

 

Enjoying a Havoc from Strangeways today, but you'll just have to take my word for it as my vessel was this blue "to go" jar that's pictured



Head doesn't really do much other than supply a modest half inch foam, milk chocolate colored head on top and old fashioned licorice colored liquid. Lacing is spotty but certainly there.

Nose is earthy, pine laden, and finishes with a touch of sweet malt.

Tastes very nice, as it first bites with hop goodness in the form of that earthy pine but adds just a touch of papaya maybe? It's a juicy tropical thing nonetheless.

Finish is hella bitter, maybe a little chalky somehow.

If the VCU Rams (for which "Havoc" is attributable ) play at a level as thrillingly sharp and no-nonsense as this, than it oughta be a decent year.

 

That rocks

 

Good afternoon NBS, Thanks to @cavedave for the introduction, and the focus.
Just returned from working in VT, It is that shoulder season, thankfully the house is set for the next
season. Today I have the pleasure of an Excursion #1 an IPA from Hill Farmstead, I have had the pleasure
of knowing this brewery and its wonderful offerings, This particular offering hits on all points. Mouth feel, aromatics
and body.
Cheers
Poured from a fresh growler into the modified pint glass.
A - A touch of orange/lemon haze, a fine carbonation feeds a loose froth, leaving a clothes line
of super white lacing.
S - Tropical fruits, mango, orange, papaya, hints of warm bread, and a fabulous honey note.
T - A delicate use of the malts, and hops keeps this in wonderful balance. Some nice notes of English cracker, mated with orange, pineapple and honey. All lead a compelling palate.
F - So very soft, delicate and rich. The body is full and round, has the feel of Matisse, very rich but elegantly
simple. The mouth feel is without edge, and complete.
O - I have enjoyed what this brewer produces for some time now. This offering has many of his hallmarks, each in its finest form. Possibly my favorite of this style.
Cheers

 

sometimes the best things we do aren't planned cheers!

 

Wow! Page 3 already? Fine job NBS crew. Time to join the fun now after a pretty busy weekend. Going with New Holland Dragon's Milk Reserve with Coffee and Chocolate. A twelve ounce bottle with a date of 10/06/15 and a 1541 stamped along side the date. Pouring this into my tulip glass on a gorgeous sunny autumn day!

Pours a thin looking cola brown color with a small finger of mocha foam that doesn't stick around. The aroma is bakers chocolate forward with some coffee following. Flavor consists of chocolate, coffee and wet cardboard in the finish. The feel is very thin with some bitterness and alcohol burn in the back.



Overall a good coffee beer that is lacking in barrel characteristics. At 17 bucks a four pack, I'll just buy Breakfast Stout instead and wait for High Westified in the meantime. My score was 3.89 rDev -4.9%.

Here's the full breakdown, have a great Sunday......

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Happy Sunday NBSers and welcome to November. Today's beer is from Long Island's Barrier Brewing and is an English barleywine. A very good one at that. Barrier's Archibald:









4.45/5 rDev +9.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

I found this sitting in a random beer shop in NYC; at the time, I wasn't aware that Barrier was bottling their goods or had ever done so.

Bomber poured into a snifter.

Pours a light brown/amber blend, not transparent to the eye, with trickles of carbonation visible. Fantastic head showing superb longevity. It sits frothy and creamy above the liquid. 5

I've had so many bourbon-barrel beers lately, I was expecting to smell that. But this isn't bourbon barrel-aged and that's fine. It allows for a punch of caramel and and grape, raisin, faint booze, and a big burst of vanilla. Very appealing. 4.25

I'm immediately reminded of a Worther's candy with the first sip, just a sticky combination of caramel and toffee. Surprisingly, a fruit cake flavor emerges mid-palate and lends some citrus flavors and dark fruit. Raisin and grape especially linger on the palate. With more warmth comes more vanilla, which is a delectable addition to the fracas. After about an hour of drinking, this starts developing a hazelnut type of flavor that is outstanding. So much going on here. 4.5

This beer is exceptionally creamy and thick like caramel before a tickle of hop bitterness, yeast, and carbonation liven things up and take this on a more aggressive path. Fresh, I'd assume this would have been harsh, but right now, with plenty of time since bottling, it drinks splendidly. 4.25

I have adjusted my score a few times with this as it has just gotten better and better. This type of pleasant surprise makes beer-drinking fun and even more so when it's a New Beer Sunday beer that I get to sit and absorb and then share with fellow BAs.

 

New beer number two - again a style for which I have no strong feelings, though I've had more doppelbocks than oyster stouts

Bonus points: I would've gone with "Doubleshot Doppelbock"...

As you can see, they didn't forget about the aloha on this one...

Maui Brewing is new to the area - just to LI this week, canned 8/26...

Had their Coconut Porter yesterday...


This is their Doppelshot Doublebock...

Lotsa coffee for sure - body and flavors beneath are not terribly traditional doppelbock - not quite sure what they remind me of, but maybe someone with a better sense for doppelbocks can weigh in. I got plenty of soft pale fruits, like apricot and date, with a creamy soft feel and just a hint of carbonation. Medium-weight, sweet as of milky caramels, and with a mild coffee - "light and sweet" - throughout...

Yeah, so that's all I got that's new for today...

Here's the other new stuff I had since last Sunday...

Schlafly's Coffee Stout and Stone's Coffee Milk Stout...

Evil Twin's Aun Mas Chili Jesus and Lagunitas' Born Yesterday Pale Ale...

The coffee stouts were medium abv American-style stouts. The Schlafy, an oatmeal stout, had a more naturally smooth feel and was drier with more bitter char, whereas the Stone milk stout had an almost glossy feel and was a sweeter beer of a more syrupy nature. Neither was anything I'd return to, but that's just because of personal taste preferences. The Chili Jesus was pricey ($10.99) but worth it. This is my kinda stout. Big and bold, and in this case, leaning toward the sweet side, followed with a sear of chili heat amid the dark chocolate. Superior drinking experience. The Born Yesterday didn't blow me away as I'd hoped it might - bottled on the 26th and consumed on the 31st, featuring Mosaic, Amarillo, and Equinox hops, I had high expectations because of the Lizard King APAs (which feature Mosaic) I've had recently. It's not to my liking as much as Lizard King, but an excellent and very fresh APA. Gonna come back to it later tonight and see how it strikes me now that I've got some buffering between it and Lizard King...

Here's to new beer in your glass - cheers!

 

Found out my overtime shift for tomorrow is a PM shift, so I guess that means I get to drink more beer today. I made a Indiana beer run to 18th Street and FFF yesterday. Picked up a new one from 18th, Disciples Revenge. Thought the nose on this one was pretty disappointing. The rest of the beer was pretty good, strong citrus finish with a good amount of bitterness. Overall not the best, considering 18th has some pretty memorable IIPA's, but still a pretty good one.

Look 4.25 Smell 3.5 Taste 3.75 Mouth 4.25 = 3.77

 

Had Flat Branch Passion Fruit Ale while having lunch at the brewpub today. No photo cause I don't take food/beer photos in public. It was pretty good. Tart and refreshing.

 

I have another local offering for this NBS, and in full disclosure, when I declared my house a pumpkin beer free zone the other day, I had forgotten about this Hardywood Rum Barrel Pumpkin



Big, white foamy head with some obligatory lacing atop this clear orange beer.

Nose is massively spiced, and to be honest, if this were a blind "sniffing", I could almost be convinced that this is a beer of Belgian origin until the pumpkin finally punches through. Not getting even a hint of rum.

Taste does have rum, and immediately so as it takes center stage. The pumpkin and spice interplay comes off buried beneath astringency.

Overall, not a great beer. Hot, but not in a great way. I'd almost say it would work well aged but I have no idea if the spice would drop off or not. If it did, this would just turn messier.

 

Happy New ESB Sunday!

Pretty nice day here in the Western Slope, sunny, low 60s. I was expecting more from this brewery, but I believe it's the liquor store's fault, at least on this brew, I think I have some other's from them, but not sure. Will be having another new brew in a little while, and this one should be tasty.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/23/108043/?ba=Wasatch



Cheers!

 

Saints 52; Giants 49!

 

Happy NBS all. Trying this unusual and tasty Unity Vibration Bourbon Peach Wild. Cheers all.

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