New Beer Sunday (week 560)

Thanks, Maria!

Just got that rush of fresh beer karma, too... *shudders* ...feels so good... lol

 

This beer I thought about the same as you, I think, when I first had it. It grew on me with the second bottle (no idea on dates, maybe one was fresher). Haven't seen it around here in a while, but as I recall, it doesn't stand up to Another One for me, but I had it seeing the tail lights of Lunch.

 

I was lucky enough to stumble upon a bottle this week- last one on the shelf in a store where I wouldn't normally expect to find this kind of beer. My plan is to save it for the holidays, although that pile is starting to get pretty tall. I guess I'll see how Thanksgiving goes and then decide from there if I'll have to start opening some of these all by my lonesome

Anyway, I prefer the leaner, lower gravity stouts, as well as that dark fruity undercurrent, so this one looks to be right up my alley. Great job- cheers!

 

Was waiting to see what would be 1000! Also was curious about your thoughts on BOMB! which you elaborated here) as you didn't say much yesterday about it .

No. No, I wouldn't. That's often the beer I give to new curious BAs (beer apprentices) to see what they think about trying some non-Guinness dark beers .

 

Gawd, even I have had it before. lol. By trade, of course. Thanks Russ!!

 

Hey what's going on?!

Had been busy past 2 Sundays with plans, some new beers then but no time to talk about them on NBS. Now I am in my usual lair sipping on some new goodies... but boy I am running low. Debating when to pull the trigger on some new goodies, but I am on a budget and waiting on some important news first.

Speaking of which I wish I could be participating in the Abyss thread today.. Had many chances to buy the beer online but didn't pull the trigger.. I could have... but I guess I didn't want it that badly.. alas... the Abyss has escaped me again.. but not good new beer to be had!

It's cold today, but the forecast starting next week is to be exceptionally warm which sounds great! Took in earlier in the weekend Great Lakes Ohio City Oatmeal, Ommegang Rosetta, and a J.W. Lees Port Cask Harvest.

In the meantime I don't have much new! oh this is not good.. but at least the beer is... what's new for our hero today? #properglassware and all.. dat glass yo!

Mash - The Bruery


The Bruery - Mash 2015 by imbibehour, on Flickr

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Poured from the bottle into a Bruery tulip/snifter glass. Vintage 2015.

Deep brown and purple, with a plum and raisin like colored body color. Tan creamy head manages a finger, but doesn't really get much bigger than that. Creamy laced top with sheeting action. Huge amounts of fine bubbles cascading along the sides of the glass as well, with some fine just micro sized tan color.

Big aroma on this bouquet even while pouring. Large thick caramel and sticky toffee notes, with a small sweetness. Classic wood aged notes of buttery oak as well. Spicy cinnamon but with a big softer sense, almost into a fruitcake like character. Thick tannic wood, but with a controlled soft chewy grain sense, one that is really picking up some whiskey character particularly in vanilla. Excellent stuff.

Palate brings the goods, with a minor letdown in body. Slightly wet but full flavored mouthfeel, doesn't give the impression of a long barrel aged brew. The flavors do manage to come out wonderfully with a good deal of complexity. Lots of dark fig and sweet browned butter in the mid palate. Finishes with much more fruit complexity, cherry, raspberry and other red fruit mixing with some nice cinnamon. Lots of soft subtle caramel going on here as well and whiskey vanilla tones. Lots of boozy character though, mostly long after the drink is sipped making it seem much larger than it really is.

Wish this had a bit more body and round character but the flavor and complexity is really well done.

look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5 | BA Generated score: 4.5

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Always looking forward to Bruery brews, particularly ones I've never had. Just wish this had a bit more depth to it but little to complain about here. The nose kind of reminds me of King Henry in a way.. how crazy is that? on to the next beer!

 

Regarding the J.W. Lees...imho, none of the "variants" can compare to the regular Harvest Ale.

 

Wait a sec? Just checking that thread they want to taste LAST years bottle, ergo when it's Best Before Date expires today for the 2014 vintage...

Well that makes me feel better.. I am never waiting

 

Boulevard Snow & Tell Oak-Aged Scotch Ale

This beer has a combined copper and ruby hue to it as the mocha colored head settles to a healthy film. Random dots and occasional vertical splotches of lacing appear. The beer just glows. For those that like cloudy beers, turn your head.

The immediate reaction from both smelling and tasting is "Wow, is that peppermint??"

Upon reading the label, I find the use of Magnum, Chinook, and Styrian Golding hops make sense of things. That holiday peppermint spiciness had to come from somewhere. Also in the nose -- dark fruits like raisins, figs.

The taste definitely mimics the aroma but is a bit more complex. There are dark fruits at work but not without other fruits like pear and grape. Oak woodiness and tart are in play throughout the entire experience here but the peppermint notes really leave an impression.

The beer at 6.3% ABV is medium bodied and dry.

Overall -- I rated this 3.78 but enjoyed it a lot. I won't mind working my way through the sixer ($8.99). Again, it smells and tastes like a holiday beer with those minty notes. It also has enough oak-aged tart to stay true to its name. Absolutely love the art work on the label, I should have saved this for a freezing December weekend.

 

Cool - you'll probably really dig it - cheers!

True, true - I deliberately withheld comment, to see how I felt as it warmed, since my initial response was underwhelming...

 

Happy NBS and another warm, sunny day in So. WI. Congrats to @Greywulfken hitting 1,000! That will be my goal in 2016.

I drove about 3 hours round trip yesterday afternoon to pick up some goodies from O'so and Funk Factory, but those will be consumed another time. Let's get to today's new beer!

Black Husky is a WI brewery in the tiny town of Pembine. They are expanding to a new facility in Milwaukee next year.

12 Dog Stout is the base for this bourbon barrel beauty. Poured 12oz bottle into snifter. Placed in the barrel 3/2013, bottled 9/2014, consumed 11/2015. It is obsidian black with a very thin brown head and leaves small spots of lacing on the glass. Aroma is deep roasted malts, dark chocolate, hints of coffee and vanilla with a touch of caramel to round it off. The flavor is sensational! Big roasted malts, dark chocolate, coffee, molasses, vanilla and caramel. It is neither bitter or sweet, but just right. It has a nice rich feel and is quite velvety. Overall this was well done and I can only hope it will be made again once the new building is up and running at full capacity.

 

yes Congrats to @Greywulfken for 1000 brews! You'll want more !!

Cheers!

 

Maria, my bottle of Java Power was in my refrigerator for a couple of weeks before I drank it; I think the 'stuff' precipitated to the bottom of the bottle. I also carefully poured/decanted the beer and left a little bit of the beer (and stuff) in the bottom of the bottle.

Cheers!

Jack

 

I had Hotbox last night. I think that will give Coffee Bender a run for its money! Top draw.

 

It has been awhile since I had regular Harvest... I am enjoying these casked other "spirited" versions though... hard to jog the memory for comparison, that's what good notes are for though!

 

This is nuts, @JuicesFlowing, I'm reviewing this today as well. We'll have to compare notes!

 

@utopiajane, this is one of my favorites, second only to Edmund Fitzgerald. I'm happy to hear you enjoyed it.

 

Me neither, but I'm sure I would have if Founders had Washington distro.

 

My first beer for NBS is one that's been in the fridge for a while.


I have to admit I expected a sour cherry bomb. This didn't meet those expectations.

K Is For Kriek

Brooklyn Brewery
American Wild Ale / 11.00% ABV

3.74/5 rDev -6.3% | Avg: 3.99
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

L-The beer pours a murky dark cherry red color. The head is initially a fluffy 1 inch monster which receedes to a thin ring with little to no lacing.
S-the smell is mostly cherries with a touch of funk.
T- The nose leads me to expect cherries, but the cherry flavor disappoints. The champagne and brett yeasts have taken over leading me to believe this bottle may be on the older side. Their is a distinct dryness and alcohol in the taste overcoming the cherries and any barrel characteristics. The Brett has started to come forward as well. Overall I feel like this flavor profile is kind of a hot mess. I'm grading easy here because I feel like this bottle may be past it's prime.
F- The feel is light, dry, and almost winelike. It's not unpleasant.
O- I'd like to be able to compare a fresh bottle of this to my experience here. However this beer is very pricey for what it is delivering.

 

1,000 for @Greywulfken? How many kick-ass photos is that? Congrats!

Fall is in full swing down here in the Brazos Valley, and a couple of nights have even had hints of winter ... just hints, but my bougainvilleas remind me daily that I need to clean up the house and get their indoor winter homes ready.

I drank down the stock in my fridge just enough to warrant a trip through the beer aisle yesterday. Turned into attack of the winter seasonal. Celebration Ale! Real Ale’s Coffee Porter! Oooo ... that Sierra Nevada Snow Pack I’ve been sleeping on (COFFEE STOUT!) ... and look! Fresh Weekend Warrior from Karbach! Open my fridge now, it’s like peering into the wardrobe and seeing Narnia.

On to the feature, a New Hand-Me-Down Beer Sunday!



I unexpectedly inherited this big bomber of lambic from a good friend. Ultimately, somebody asked me “Do you want this?” “Hell, yeah, I want that!”

So after years and years of seeing Lindemans at the stores and never buying, I finally cracked one open. And I like it. A lot. This Framboise is surely too sweet ... it’s missing some of those good hallmark notes found in my favorite farmhouse/wild ales (musty barn, funk, earthy dirt or tree bark, hay), but it *is* sour. Very sweet at first, lots of rasberry flavor, almost like rasberry candy, but a consistent wall of sour finishes each swallow. In fact, this dance of sweet-sour-sweet-sour is so perfectly timed I’m picturing a half rasberry/half lemon fruit. Obviously Founder’s Blushing Monk comes to mind, but I can’t say for sure how different the two are.

I don’t envision drinking this particular beer often, but I will revisit it for sure. It’s yummy. And it’s good enough that I want to try more of Lindemans brews.

It also has me VERY intrigued about the lambic and what its range of flavors must be. I’ve only had one other lambic, St. Louis Peche, and it was way, way too sweet ... almost like straight sugar syrup with no tartness at all. This Lindemans Framboise is better balanced, though it’s still more sweet than sour.

The review:
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/187/599/?ba=Premo88
4.23 (+7.9% rDev)

I’m off to watch my Dallas Cowboys lose No. 7 in a row. Should be fun.

Enjoy your Sundays and your beers!

Cheers!