New Beer Sunday (week 566)

Wow-I got pretty much no head and an equivalent feel from my bottle. I happened to have loved the nose on mine. We ended up at the same calculated rating, but in different ways. From a Dark Day in my life , look at my pic :
http://www.beeradvocate.com/communi...drinking-now-1155.367308/page-13#post-4351000

Edit: found the picture and re-uploaded it:

 

New India Style Red Ale (Slow) Sunday!

Work day was fine and Humid. Im not used to this type of Weather here in the middle of nowhere Maryland!! Ok, enough of that jazz, time for the New Brew! (crossed with WBAYDN)



India Style Red Ale... Whatever.

Time to describe this brew. Off the jump she pours Deep Copper/Amber in appearance, with a nice soapy white head. She looks inviting!

The aroma should tell me where we're going, right? Huge Toast and Sugar aroma with that Crystal Malt edge. On the backend a grab of Herbal tea grabs the senses. Not a bad smelling brew.

Da Flavah? First grabs the tastebuds with candy sugar sweetness that makes your mind think it's candy! Second wave of Hops! It's Fresh Pear meat flavor with Herbal Tea notes that turn to that Resinous Hop Oil vibe I love in IPAs. It's (Spruce and Cedar with notes of fresh Weed). Bitterness finishes this brew on a bright feel (Grapefruit rind Bitter/Acidity). Aftertaste of Cedar and Weed Stem. Feel on the palate is Warm and Medium. Carbonation is on point!

Overall: This brew is one of the few that grabs you on Surprise!! The aroma makes you think this is going to be a Malty beverage. Yet that flavor changes shit around on you! It's malty yet has a Hoppy Edge You wouldn't see coming. That Citrus and Stone Fruit Hoppiness makes this a brew worth drinking. If you're a Malt Head, you'll love it, if you're a Hop Head, you'll love it. I'm both and I love it! That Resinous Hop Vibe is making me fall in love with this brew! This brew is Recommended!

Grade: A-

Cheers my fellow New Beer Sunday Crew!

 

New Imperial Pumpkin Ale Sunday

Happy NBS everyone! I know pumpkin beer season is over, but I had a couple that I hadn't gotten around to drinking so I figured I'd have them today. I started off with some Flying Monkeys Paranormal Imperial Pumpkin Ale:

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/10796/139405/?ba=bluejacket74





I thought it was pretty good, but definitely one of the heavier spiced pumpkin ales I've had. I'll be back on here in a little while with another new beer review, which will be a bourbon barrel aged pumpkin ale. Cheers!

 

100% agreement on this. A very unusual extremely enjoyably surprising brew. I'd buy 6 more of these if I could find it!!!

 

Holy cow is there some high quality in here today ...

While the rain piles up outside here in the Brazos Valley, I'm inside working on a New Collaboration Beer Sunday.

Live Oak + Jester King =

Foudreweizen




Live Oak cooks up some wort, ships it over to Jester King, where they shove it in one of their foudres ... for those of us in Texas, it sounds like a big-budget blockbuster movie with a cast of A-listers. And in this case, *it works*!

Foudreweizen has bits and pieces of Live Oak's good banana-ey hefeweizen aroma and flavor and bits and pieces of Jester King's signature musty barn notes. In between that is where this beer really exists, and my best description is a "wheat gose" ... kinda salty, definitely tart (lemons even), spiced by coriander and clove and very lightweight and super drinkable. It's very, very good and comes off like a true collaboration because of those hints of banana and barn must, each serving as their respective brewery's signature.

I think this is my only photo of one of JK's foudres (behind the white ballcap, taken Dec. 6):

I meant for more barrel and less people with this shot, but oh well . Next time I need a photo of me hugging the big foudre.

The review:
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/24018/173487/?ba=Premo88
4.43 (+0.7% rDev)

Live Oak and Jester King have done other collaborations ... their pilsener-turned-farmhouse is quite good (very Belgian IPA-like), but this Foudreweizen much more fits my taste buds.

Live King ... Jester Oak ... Live Jester Oak King ...

OK, I'll stop.

Cheers, NBSers!

 

I was going to ask you about that. I saw your review after I posted mine. Had to have a carbonation issue with that one. Mine wasn't that flat at the bottom of the glass. Even though I dumped the majority of it, that is usually not necessary with a cream stout. I don't think I have ever poured one that was less than 3 fingers.

Weird. I would bet they came from the same pack.

 

I can find more...is 6 the limit?

 

Guessing I would've been closer to 4.5 overall if I had your bottle. Oh well, either way I know it's a beer to grab another of when I see it. Good thing I re-visit ratings .

 

The skies the limit !!!! .....I mean the wallet

 

Greetings all! I am back from a 4-day mini-vacation spent at my parents' house for the holiday, along with my brother and sister and their families. Cramming 14 people into a single house along with more than enough games (!), food (!!) and drink (!!!) was such a great way to spend it, but I'm sorta tired now and hoping that the rest of the night gently eases me back to normalcy.

Here's something we did on Friday-

A pretty informal tasting of the 2012 through 2015 Bourbon County Stouts (and this was my first time trying the 2015, fwiw). The really nice thing about this was that people could sample and compare throughout the day, even come back to it, and just make note of any perceived differences. Novice and hardcore alike were definitely picking up big dissimilarities amongst them all, although there was no true clear-cut favorite. The 2015 is the only one to not make anyone's list, however. From my perspective here's how I would break them down:
2012- best barrel quality, coconut and vanilla in abundance
2013- best overall balance of flavors and attributes, easiest drinker
2014- great rich fudginess dominating
2015- sharp and espresso-like

So, here I now sit in a quieter mood, with a quieter beer. This one comes to me courtesy of @creepinjeeper , and it seems to be exactly what the doctor ordered-

Metropolitan Krank Shaft Kolsch
Right off the bat I can tell this is the 'real deal', made with care and respect. The aroma has that gentle combination of bready Pilsner malt, soft and delicate fruity esters (white grape, pear), and the slightest hint of spicy hops. The palate is crisp and dry, very well assembled, and favors the bready malt; although the fruit comes out to play a lot more on the surprisingly long finish. It's just so fresh and lively, so perfect and unassuming- nothing is amiss or out of place. This is a great beer, and a true pleasure to drink- it would easily make it to my rotation if it were available in my area. A- (4.35)

Cheers, all, and hope your weekend went as well as mine!

 

Thanks. That looks like a Kolsch I would love to try. If I can find it. And the the BCBS is great info. I only have a few 14 and a 15 but it looks like I'm overdue to crack a 14!

 

Good evening NBS, last Sunday I was too hungover to enjoy a few new beer with you guys and girls, but I am feeling fine today. Currently enjoying a bottle of Thirsty Dog Barrel Aged Siberian Night thank to @SomethingClever
4.3/5 rDev +2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Thank you SomethingClever for this!
12 oz oz bottle poured into a tulip

A- Black with a three finger light mocha head.

S- Slightly bourbon heavy, rich chocolate, oak, some roasted malts, dark chocolate, some vanilla.

T- Dark chocolate, dark fruits, bourbon, oak, some roasted coffee, hints of vanilla.

M- Smooth, medium body.

O- Almost smell like BCBS, but the taste isn't as big as the nose. Body is a little thinner than I like. Overall this a solid barrel aged stout that I would be happy to try again.

 

New Barrel Aged Imperial Pumpkin Ale Sunday

I'm back with my 2nd and last new beer review for today, Jackie O's Bourbon Barrel Barking Pumpkin Ale: http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1432/143782/?ba=bluejacket74

I liked this one a lot too, I thought the bourbon barrel flavors were stronger than the pumpkin ones. Not that the regular Barking Pumpkin is bad, but I liked the barrel aged version a lot better.





I'll try and check out everyone else's new brews on here later today or tomorrow morning!

 

Just saw that we hit another new high temp today, 77 degrees, beating 75 in 1982. They are forecasting 40s for the highs next weekend so big changes coming.

Time for another new one tonight - Three Floyd's Amber Smashed Face. Big thanks to @egrace84 for sending this my way.

This one is very aggressively hopped with a big malt backbone to balance things out. Very much like a citrus forward Arogant Bastard. Very nice beer and glad to have the chance to try it!



http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/26/184050/?ba=richj1970

 

Aye! Thirsty Dog know their Barrels. This brew I'd take over BCBS though..

 

Greetings All:

Winding down a great Christmas weekend with a world class coffee porter from Ballast Point.
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/199/48505/

Victory At Sea is an incredibly flavorful coffee and vanilla porter. Sometimes I think adding extras like coffee and spices can detract from the true qualities of a beer. Indeed I have had beer you'd swear had coffee in it, but was all done with (roasted) grain, water, hops and yeast. That said Victory At Sea is a very good Imperial Porter.

Well what can I say? We had our damn White Christmas, first in a couple of years. Now I want El Niño back. Weather threw a wrench in some of the travel plans, but we got most everyone together, and have a few gifts to exchange in the weeks ahead.

This week is a short one for me, just 3 work days, and I'm looking forward to some great college football games on Thursday, New Year's Eve.

Wednesday is also a milestone of sorts for me, 10 years a BA. Not necessarily an accomplishment, and there are a handful in this thread who have been around longer than I. But still a suitable time to take a measure of things, and reflect on the last ten years in general, and about the state of craft beer specifically. So I plan to do just that on Wednesday.

Until then, I hope you have had a great Christmas weekend, and I wish you a happy New Year's weekend to come.

Happy Trails!

 

What's up, BA?! Hope everyone had a great Christmas weekend. This time of year is great for so many reasons, but I have to admit, it exhausts the hell out of me. Today was a must needed day of relaxation at home. I love seeing all of my family, but it's time to kick back and recharge the batteries. What better way to do that than with a new beer?!

Today's new beer is one that is readily available and right in my wheelhouse, yet somehow I have never had it before.

Spaten Optimator



The pour is ruby-brown with a tall, fluffy, light tan head. Right away you notice the rich malts in the aroma. Light notes of caramel and chocolate, followed by a huge wave of dark fruit. You get some toasted malts in the flavor, then a light caramel and fruity sweetness. My favorite thing about this beer is how smooth it is. Incredibly clean and shows very little sign of its strength. It's medium bodied and the carbonation is perfect. I had this bottle with dinner tonight and it went really well with some grilled burgers and veggies.

If you can't tell, I loved this beer. One of the best doppelbocks I've ever had. Prosit!

4.00 / 4.00 / 4.25 / 4.75 / 4.50

Overall score: 4.28

 

Not only is this NBS, but IDHTWTNBS (I don't have to work tomorrow ). Which means we can take care of another beer I have had slated for NBS for...
<< counting on fingers >>
... a while.

AleSmith Old Numbskull, a barleywine a là those @zid is having all month over on a different thread.


I've not had anything not well made by AleSmith, even if I personally wasn't fond of everything. Let's see if this is the same.

Look is pretty damn lovely. A rusty brown, deep amber, or deep copper, whatever you want to call it, you can see it. Muddled consistency out of the bottle is not out of whack, but I do find clarity in the beer eventually. The best part, however, is that lovely head. Rose-tinted tan that sat there waiting for me to put together the photo and initial words. Sheets of lacing, also.

From the nose I am starting to get what the back of the bottle clearly states: this is an American Barleywine. Actually I am basically getting hops, at best it's a hoppy amber smell. Given my proclivities-this might have to fit into the "me not being fond of" category.

Now I am fairly certain my best chance for this beer is to let it warm a tad (my little sips on a cold beer confirmed the hoppy amber general impression). With that warmth I did start to notice the alcohol, a light tingling burn with each sip. The malts also start to show themselves (in the nose as well): toffee and honey, but also a tartness that seems to be the result of alcohol, malt, and bitterness combining. A little mint-tea like note signals the transition to the "aggressive bitterness" in this beer. The bitterness is woody to herbal, but hard to tell.
Edit: posted my review. This beer keeps changing, and as it warms new tastes become more apparent. Definitely interesting.

I prefer English Barleywine, but I think this will work just fine for those who like the American style. It is fairly well balanced American version once it reaches temp.

 

Why, hello New Beer Sunday people.

Work was great today. Why? I was able to leave the new guy alone today for he first time, and it went great. I was able to get 3 hours away from work, and it was great. I was able to get grocery shoping done, a workout in, and just relaxed for a bit. After work I was planning on going to Old Chicago to watch the game. Well, by the time I got there, the bar was 100% packed.

So I'm home for NBS, and not watching the game, because no cable to get it (can't get it over the air, because I'm in an OTA dead zone, unless you have a big antenna).

Tonights NBS is one for the ages, I hope. It's a beer raved about here. So here goes.

Yes, I've never had it before.

Pours, and looks like motor oil - usually a good sign. There's a minimal head to it. The nose is rich with the smell of the barrel.

Now to the main event -
Woah! I get hit with flavors, I get the barrel flavor, but also caramel, and vanilla, I think. Yes, caramel, and vanilla according to the bottle. This is a rich, boozy beer, full of flavor. I can see why all th fuss is made over this beer, it's amazing.

4.9 out of 5

Now back to drinking.