New Beer Sunday (week 562)

Now this is a new one on me... not just the specific beer. Wild Heaven's Funkenrauch, a Smoked Wild Ale aged in Bordeaux barrels....and damn delicious too. Cheers all.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/23651/172563/?ba=cindyjeffsmith

 

No problem, I am surprised GI hasn't done it yet, a sister cuvee would be great in bottles.

 

Go BIG or go home!

 

I'm not a huge fan of Oaked-Strong Ales. Same reason I wasn't a fan of BA Bigfoot. Yet I'd rather dome Oaked AB vs Regular Arrogant. Yet I'd slam dance with Double Bastard Daily!

 

I with you there- figgy, rich and spicy, smells just like holiday cookies. Apparently my brother is, too, because the past two years he's gravitated to that beer at our parties.

Just this past Thanksgiving I blended a bunch of Pumpkin beers and Imperial Stouts- and those went over very well with all attendees; this gets me thinking about just how good 2XMAS would be with that treatment...

 

Yeah, I'm down with that; taken on its own terms it's a damn tasty beer.

 

Got home and had to go a different route for my third new beer today. Starting to get stout fatigue, so went with an Allagash Wild Ale - Cuvée Industrial


Upon opening the beer a waft of apple juice/apple pie. A closer sniff yields more of the same, with an obvious tart note that is a little cider-vinegar like. The tart combination turns the apple notes to potential other fruit notes, apricot or peach, maybe. There's a light note of vanilla that combines with the oak to produce a nice undertone and suport the pie/cobbler concept.

Sitting back from the nose, I can see this is a lovely beer, tending towards the light side of golden, and has a nice stained glass clarity to it. Carbonation sizzled on the pour as the bubbles grew and started to die, the last ones clinging to the edges of the glass for their life.

The taste is not as fruity as the nose suggests. The wood notes seem to dull the other flavors. They seem to still be there, hiding in a room of freshly made wooden shelves. The sour note does come out though, but as an almost indistinct sour, maybe obscured by the decently heavy carbonation that is also nipping at the tongue. I am thinking crab apple or sour watermelon notes.

I can say, this is exactly what I needed for a breakup of the repeated flavors of the dark beers I had earlier. This is a very enjoyable brew, although I'd have liked the fruits from the nose to make a bit more of a part on the tongue.

Edit: LOL-all three reviews for NBS today have 0% rDev (granted I had to add the second beer, but still...)

 

Cooking and trying this offering from Stone.



Pleasantly surprised with the hop flavor, mostly grapefruit I'm finding. Well done Stone.

 

Mighty late start for me on this NBS, as we just arrived home from a hockey tournament in NC where we lost in the finals but I won in the beer stores (trying to add positive spin.....)

Amongst several other nice beers I picked up this endangered species which sadly will become extinct soon. Pretty Things Jack D'or.



Right away this crystal clear golden beer looks promising as the thick white pillow of a head rises right up and leaves behind a slightly sticky lacing.

Nose is wildly pleasant as that yeast brings a bouquet of slight clove, musty clay, champagne, a dash of pepper, hints of melon and bitter hop.

Fantastic tast. Melon pops immediately, followed by a musty, earthy and ever so slight funk. Further on along I get pear and pepper. Finish mostly carries the bitterness which floats between nondescript and slightly earthy along with an almost eucalyptus sensation in my nose.

Figures. I find another Saison that I actually enjoy, and it's going the way of the do-do.

 

Tasty Brew!

Cheers!

 

I love that beer!

 

Evening! Great posts today!

My NBS beer is Jackie O's ~ Oil of Aphrodite ~ Double Imperial Stout



She pours dark, silky, and smooth. As with some great complex double imperial stouts, if you can
imagine a flavor being in there, then you'll taste it. It's almost like she knows what you like to taste
and then she delivers it briefly. Rich dark chocolate, vanilla, toasty, full bodied, and a hint of some
kind of sweetness that I'm sorry to say I can't quite describe.

Is this sweetness the oil of Aphrodite? Oil gently squeezed from Aphrodite directly into this sexy bottle?
I think so. I want to believe so.

Bottom line: I love Oil of Aphrodite.

Cheers gang!

 

Haven't been feeling wordy as of late. :-)

 

That vanilla is an overtone in this brew. Yet it felt like it was an American take on an Unblended Guezue. This and the Farm to Face (Peach) are the only brews I bought on repeat from Allagash. This brew is upper tier.

 

Not enough time to review, but have to say this is an amazing beer I've never had before, and I am REALLY glad I have two more. Might be the best pumpkin beer I've ever had.

 

New American Stout Sunday

And with beer #2 on my New Beer Sunday, I tried some Maine Beer Company Mean Old Tom: http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/20681/56545/?ba=bluejacket74





It was my first time trying an MBC beer, and I wasn't disappointed. Hope I can find some of their other beers soon! I'll be back with another new beer review in a bit.

 

Both great beers, but Allagash's best sour ale is Century Ale IMO.

GAUNTLET THROWN DOWN

 

New Saison

It's a beautiful day in West MI. The temps didn't crack 40, but skies were blue and there was a gentle wind. That made for perfect riding weather on that bad boy below. I took the kiddos out to see a sinkhole after a short ride of my own this AM



This one was from the early hours. Another review should be coming shortly.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/2874/49728/?ba=GRPunk

4.05/5 rDev +5.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

St. Feuillien Saison
11.2 oz. can from Copper Vine ($2.99), poured into a Duvel tulip.

A- A liberal pour creates 1-1/2 fingers of off-white head that drops to a decent lace. The body was a hazy, golden-orange that shows quite a few floaties. Medium-light carbonation. Thin, delicate rings are left on the glass.

S- Nice and funky. Bubble gum, lemon grass, and a bit of black pepper. Maybe a little orange and grapefruit juice. Some Granny Smith Apple peel.

T- Very nice. A little gummy with a sweet malt backbone that suggests a sweetened cream of wheat. The finish is fairly clean with a black peppery bite. Another sip and I'm reminded of juicy fruit gum.

M- Medium body. Creamy with medium carbonation. Fairly dry finish.

O- A really solid saison. A little pricy at $3 for a smallish can (though maybe not against other imports). So, is it worth it? Once in a while maybe. It's a style I really enjoy, and quite a few local and regional Brewers do it pretty well.

3.75 4.25 4 4 4

★ 1,003 characters

 

I don't know Mike, That Nancy and Raspberry shit was pretty godly!