New Beer Sunday (week 560)

Got a little smokiness out of the last beer, so I parlayed that into this next offering (that I had slated for a few weeks back):


This was a new beer from Schlenkerla line that I hadn't had. Weizen has a fairly typical brown with a hint of red that I've seen in other beers by this brewer. There appeared to be some sediment in the bottom, but I can't tell if much came of it. The head took forever to recede so I could add that sediment.

Nose is pretty heavy on the smoke, maybe a lift floral note behind it-hard to tell. My first sip I was thinking it was way too smoky, but subsequent tastes don't feel so overpowering. There is an almost citrus note to the beer, almost like a wit beer with a slice of orange. The smoke acts as a balancing agent, bringing some earthiness (and maybe some spiciness?) to the beer more so than being a key component of the beer.

The GF finds the beer very smoky, more like my initial opinion, but she's also fairly cool on Rauchbier in general. The smoke does finish the beer, but wheat > earthy > lightly smoky is the transition I get.

 

I've been meaning to try this and have noticed fewer bottles on the shelves recently so I figured there's no time like the present.

4.06/5 rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from cork and cage bottle into snifter. The color is almost jet black with a creamy mocha colored head and lacing. The prevalent smell is caramel, coffee, chocolate, and bourbon. There is just enough bourbon smell but it's not overpowering. The taste is coffee forward with bitter chocolate, vanilla, and a decided champagne tartness at the finish. As the stout warms, the sourness increases. The bourbon is prevalent throughout and is quite hot. I tasted no dark fruit, which I like to have in an RIS. This is a medium-bodied, lightly-carbonated stout. The fermentation with champagne yeast creates a unique taste that sets it apart. You can definitely feel the 10.5% ABV and this is decidedly a sipper. Overall, it is quite good and I'm glad I sought it out.

 

I've still got a bottle of the '10. I've been saving it for an occasion when I have help to do a triple vertical along with a bottle each of the '11 and '12 that I've likewise stashed.

 

Define "sucks," please. I'm not sure any place competes with NYC's distribution.

 

Congratulations on achieving a milestone!

 

New Gueuze Sunday features Cantillon Gueuze 100% Lambic Bio:



4.24/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

750mL bottle poured into a wine tulip glass.

Peach-skin color in the body with some golden hues. Fizzy but persistent pale white head. Not exactly a transparent beer, but neither is it murky. Light trickles of carbonation show through. 5

The nose is tart with some orchard fruit, fuzzy funk, and a white wine yeast aroma. Clean and appealing, but not profound in any way. 4

A surprising bit of raisin flavor is the first thing I taste, followed by unripened peach, earthy, floral funkiness and a sharply tart apricot juice flavor. 4.25

It's tart with some lemony acidity and a full-bodied feel. The finish has some tart bite before a vinous dryness and sticky funkiness that lingers. Carbonation up front gives a lively feel and accentuates the tartness before things settle into a lingering dry, oaky finish. 4.25

It's very good, I'll leave it at that.

 

Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones once said that when he first listened to Elmore James it was as though the earth shuddered on its axis. Although melodramatic, that is sort of how I felt the first time I tried Founders Porter. It was my introduction to Founders and kind of flamed the fire for craft beer or me. Glad you enjoyed it. Cheers!

 

Greetings, fellow NBSers, and thanks to @utopiajane and @cavedave for their joint kickoff to things today,

It’s 58 degrees and cloudy in the northwest’ Inland Empire (I wonder how many different Inland Empires there are in the country) - actually pretty nice compared to the past few days, which have been rainy and windy. I’m recovering from the toll taken on my body by “Dinner Club.” This time, my friends and I used comfort food as a theme, which seemed to lead to lots of cheese being consumed in various dishes and by itself. Drinks were wine, bourbon and cans of Field 41. Afterwards we watched the WSU Cougars (last night’s hostess’s twin kids go there) overcome their own 4th quarter attempt to “Coug it” and beat UCLA. I’m a Husky fan and dislike Mike Leach personally, but they seem legit this year. My own favorite college teams both went down to defeat in embarrassing fashion. The Huskies could totally have taken Arizona St. but for their turnovers, and are now pretty much SOL for getting into a bowl. I expected that at the beginning of the year, but their true frosh QB and their super young defense played well enough to get my hopes up at times. Montana beat my Eagles so badly it was as if they were killed, then mockingly resurrected by their foe just so they could kill them again. Really, it was so bad it was like they got beat twice. Truly ugly. In other news, on Friday, I finished binge watching Orphan Black’s third season (Tatiana Maslanny is an amazing actress) and I actually got a bonus at work for not calling in sick for a year (I thought about suggesting they pay better so that people don’t work sick, but kept my mouth shut).

This week I had nothing new, beer-wise, though I had several excellent beers I have had before, notably Iron Goat’s Manito Triple IPA, which they brew for the Manito Tap House on Spokane’s South Hill. A dangerously drinkable beer, that one. I need to go to Manito more often, especially since they have Bottomcutter listed as something that will be coming soon.

After coffee, panettone French Toast (Franco-Italian French Toast?) and NFL watching (The coaching staff of the Packers have been replaced by non-football watching aliens a la Invasion of the Body Snatchers, with only the ineptitude of the Lions keeping them alive for most of the game), I went with Duet. I’ve had several beers from the northern WA Alpine, but none from the one in California. Therefore, I don’t really have an opinion about the pre-Green Flash era vs. now, but I really liked this:
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/3120/27604/?ba=woemad

 

a vertical sounds fun. I'm really enjoying this bottle. 6 hours past opening and it's better than ever.

 

Back for my second beer for this Sunday with a beer I brought out of the cellar after watching this great sunset through the now bare trees here in central NH.

Kind of looks like everything is on fire tonight.
On to my second beer for this NBS it is from Fifty Fifty brewing there Eclipse Stout this with the hunter green wax from 2014 aged in Haven Hill Rittenhouse Rye Whiskey Barrels.

This stout pours a dark black color with a light tan head.
The nose is strong of the rye whiskey barrel aging not a lot of anything else is able to get through.
The taste is not quite as strong of the barrel aging as the nose leads you to think. A very smooth and drinkable stout with a nice smooth rye whiskey taste. There are hints of cocoa and I find perhaps a little plum in the back of the mouth.
The mouth feel is what you expect of a great barrel aged stout.
This is one of the better stouts I've had in a while that is barrel aged well balanced in flavor with the rye whiskey coming through but not over powering.
Time for me to start working on dinner grill ribeye steaks, baked sweet potatoes, and braised brussels sprouts with chorizo and garlic
I'll try and get back with a plated picture for all you fellow foodies!

 

It's a beautiful chilly but sunny day here in TN with some nice color left clinging to the trees. Had to do a bit of work this weekend but also spent some quality time outside and with friends - amazed that the holiday season is upon us. Many somber moments given the events in Paris and Beirut, but I'm hopeful that the US and the world has the resolve to deal with this.

Anyway, onto a great beer! 4 Hands/Stone/Bale Breaker Sorry Not Sorry IPA:


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

Bottle dated 10/25/15. Clear orange/amber color with a thick off-white head that lingered. Good lacing and residual foam in my glass. I really liked the nose. Subtle peach right out of the gate, with some orange, pine, and bready malt. The taste was more complex: citrus up front, with classic oniony Stone notes, pine, grapefruit and a soft peach flavor with the malt at the end. It's like the peach and big malt backbone reeled in the onion and grassiness, which I enjoyed. Medium bodies and carbonated, with a soft alcohol warming that felt a bit less than the 9.3% ABV. Very enjoyable, and better as it warmed. Cheers all!

 

After my Eagles screwed the pooch I need this obviously titled beer.



I love this beer. Less citrusy and more piney with a definite creaminess too it. I really like this beer.

 

Now trying this Kees Export Porter 1750. BA has it listed as an RIS which seems more appropriate. Cheers.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/39015/172407/?ba=cindyjeffsmith

 

The Abyss
Deschutes Brewery
American Double / Imperial Stout / 11.00% ABV
4.58/5 rDev +2% | Avg: 4.49
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

22 ounce bottle poured into a snifter

A: Pours black with a mocha colored head, head is full with lots of tiny bubbles, after five minutes, head was gone, reduced to a chocolate colored film, no carbonation streaming, looks thin.

A: Pinot noir barrels come through pretty strong, hint of bourbon, chocolate, picking up some tart cherry aromas, some roasted malts and coffee notes, lots of aromas, complex, nothing really jumps out besides the pinot noir barrels yet all these aromas are there.

T: Like the nose, pinot noir barrels are the dominating flavor, some bourbon, coffee and dark chocolate moderate bitterness in the middle, finishes with cherry, licorice, and molasses sweetness, wine barrel aftertaste, dry finish.

M: For an imperial stout, it’s a little thin, good amount of carbonation, dry coffee like finish.

O: First off, like the Dissident, nothing in The Abyss jumps out at me, however, it has a very complex aroma and taste, everything in The Abyss is subtle, maybe because it’s aged, I don’t know, but it’s very good and drinkable, a fireside lounge chair beer.



Mocha colored, creamy thick head.

 

Posted this one on WBAYDN and the Abyss thread and am doing a first time triple post.



Here is the review I left:

5/5 rDev +11.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I'm not sure this beer is a perfect 100 for everyone but it is for me. I drank the 2014 vintage. Dark as night, awesome cocoa colored head and impressive lacing for a big stout. The amount going on in the nose and taste of this beer is ridiculous. Smells like wine, oak, coffee, molasses, chocolate, bourbon, tart cherries and roasted malt sweetness. The flavor is a very well balanced version of the aromas. I notice the wine, oak and licorice more in the taste than in the nose and there is a very nice finish that tastes like tart cherries and bitter black licorice.

 

Happy NBS!

Birthday party today. Dino theme.



Had my first ever Yuengling Lager at the party. I didn't take a pic but Googled and found
this image instead.



Imagine there's Yuengling Lager in that stein.

Then I worked at my rental property later where former tenants left (literally) a ton
of unchopped wood in the driveway. There's nothing like having a ton of good wood...but
this was ridiculous!! I was pissed.

Threw up my first Yuengling Lager on the wood. No pic.

Home finally with my New Beer Sunday beer!!!

Christian Moerlein Bay of Bengal Double IPA from Christian Moerlein Brewing Company
in Cincinnati dontcha know!



Hahaha. Let there be no doubt, this a "Double IPA" and it's obviously from Bengal town ~ Cincinnati. I guess it's gotta be Bengal related since, well, the Bengals are so COOL and they're going to win the Super Bowl. This is a town not far from me and a town that's never impressed me very much in my over 59 years. I've had some issues there in the distant past, but let's not go there, and besides, I'm a little grumpy today and who cares anyway.

Back to the "Double IPA"!

This DIPA is actually much like the town of Cincy. It's okay. It's pretty good. It'll do. Citrus, hoppy, cold, yellow-orange. It's in a can! That's cool and VERY trendy! But I can't say it ranks with the upper tier of DIPA's, and really how hard is it to make a great DIPA? They're all over the place! IMHO.

In light of all that, I would recommend it!
It's a pretty good DIPA!

Cheers gang!

 

I hope that one show's up around here.

Cheers!

 

My that (your post) was quite a journey.

 

One more new beer to finish off NBS

This beer is stones collab with 4 hands and bale breaker the sorry not sorry DIPA Brewed with peaches. Had my mouth watering right when I saw it and I'm not even a huge ups fan in general.

4.4/5 rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

L: dark copper/orange not much of a head at all with a gentle pour.

S: Bitter ...sweet tropical fruits ..pineapple, passion fruit, kiwi...some peach towards the end.. Amazing smell!

T: starts off malt sweet with tons of fruit one of the most tropical tasting dipa'a ive tried slight alcohol warmth.. Really amazing stuff.

F: Syrupy thick but velvety smooth at the same time.

O: One of my favorite ipas I've had great stuff!




Again Happy NBS BA's!!!!

 

WHO DEY!