New Beer Sunday (week 569)

I agree with you. When I tried this one, the nose was so amazing I almost didn't want to drink for about 5 minutes. I just sat there, nose in the glass. But then I did, ans WOW what a complex, enjoyable drink.

 

Decided to take my first two-hour trek out to Pizza Boy / Al's of Hampden today with the wife and kid. To make it a proper family outing, we decided to stop at the Wold Sanctuary of PA -- which was surprisingly impressive. Here's a pic...



Snowed for the first time in the season while there and all the wolves started howling. Pretty cool. When we finally made it to Al's we were starving. The food was decent, service quite good and the beer selection was phenomenal. Tried four there and picked up my first two crowlers for the road. Decided to review Pizza Boy's Bean Dream Root Beer Float for NBS, pictured here on the right next to Tired Hands Altar.



It was dark brown color, approaching black, with a finger of tan head that lasted. The aroma was spot on, smelling distinctly of root beer with a little vanilla. It also had an exceptionally creamy body. The look, smell and feel were fantastic, but the taste didn't quite live up. The root beer and vanilla flavors were definitely there, but with roasted malt and a little coffee behind. To me, the flavors just didn't meld.

Worth a try nonetheless. Both the Sanctuary and Al's were great fun. Cheers!

 

I've had Dark Lord numerous times. My experience is different than yours. I didn't get the soy so much as a one-dimensional molassess kinda sweetness. But like you, underwhelmed is a nice way to say it.

 

Another Big Stout Sunday
cuz' it's so damn cold out.
Sunrise. Sunset.

Big Ricc aims to please.
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16333/115067/?ba=garymuchow

more coffee and chocolate than RIS but pleasing nonetheless.
I do not have tomorrow off, so this is it. But all in all two good beers for NBS.
Best to all this week.

 

Today is my day to try a world-class Belgian lambic. Cuvee Rene is a true work of art and nature. Complex aromas and flavors of green apple, lemon, and malts. Malty on the tongue and sour on the palate. Subtly earthy with a sour finish that sees the yeasty funk peeking through as the sourness dissipates. The feel is a creaminess that wants to be dry. There is a slightly warm afterglow and a bit of a funky residue or coating on the tongue that is not at all unpleasant. This isn't likely to become my favorite beer style, but it was a pleasure to experience.

 

New Sierra Nevada Beer Sunday

I was actively seeking out a single of Otra Vez (my previous NBS post) and, naturally, right next to it was this one. With each IPA I have, I find myself realizing that there are only a few I ever revisit. Sierra Nevada has produced at least three of those, so I was willing to give this a shot. And since these singles were only $1.59 (shout out to Holiday Market Royal Oak) I didn't have much to lose.


Bottled 12/29/15

The aroma on this one took me a minute to really get the depth of it, but the notes I picked up were of sugary tropical dried fruit (papaya and mango come to mind) and a little dank cannabis. As with the aroma, the flavors required a little searching for me, despite it's relative freshness. It was a mix of the tropical and dank notes, but they seemed more integrated with not much really popping. The texture had this odd flat (borderline syrupy?) component mid-drink, and the finish lacked the dryness that I have come to expect from Sierra Nevada's IPAs. Overall, I enjoyed elements of it, and the price is right, but this is another IPA I will not reach for again.

3.7/5

My new beers are done for the day, but you might see me on WBAYDN with some familiar malty brews to help combat this chilly Sunday evening (watching football is such a chore!). I love when I get the opportunity to partake in NBS, and today has produced yet another great thread.

Cheers, BA!

 

Happy NBS. Enjoying this Kasteel Barista Chocolate Quad. Cheers all.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/212/175025/?ba=cindyjeffsmith

 

Look out... its the hopped up cream ales!!! Coming for you! Next new wave? stay tuned folks...

Another State Of Kind - Devils Backbone Brewing Company


Devil's Backbone / Sun King - Another State of Kind Double Dank Cream Ale by imbibehour, on Flickr

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Poured from the bottle into a nonic pint glass. Bottled 12/14/2015.

Giant bright 14k gold body color, crystal clear and beaming. Very little rising carbonation at all while the beer sits, sets with barely a two finger bright white head that dissolves slowly but steadily. Manages a soapy puck and crown while resting.

Dank yes, but not the biggest nose on the aroma. Hop forward tropical notes but with a dank angle that goes to mushy over ripe tropical fruit character. Hints of pineapple a bit, maybe a bit of sweetness in the background but quite small. Decent bouquet.

Palate shocks quite a bit. So THERE's that cream ale sweetness which hits with a WALLOP at first, but is quickly washed away in a flurry of excellent hop flavors. Malt sweet front, with a mid palate that hits with earth and tropical hop bombast. Juiced pineapple, an an interesting quick finish that goes straight into lime and almost Italian bitters Campari territory. There's just the right amount of sweet malts and adjunct? possibly countering the hop angle on this to really make an excellent touch of sugar fruit like quality.

Is the new deal? Hopped up cream ales? Watch out folks its coming for you! So far 2 beers in to the DB Adventure pack and it's swinging gangbusters.

look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25 | BA Generated Score: 4.14

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Back for one more that I picked up at a local store on Friday. I've seen this Stone/Sierra NxS collaboration posted many times and our terrible distribution system finally delivered. The bottle date is 11/22/15 and I'm pouring this 8.2% abv. whiskey barrel and gin infused bourbon barrel concoction in my Stone snifter. Let's have a taste indoors as the sun goes down on another day.

Pours a rather flat looking transparent gold color leaving a small amount of white foam. The smell is grapefruit up front followed by some whiskey and grain. Flavor is bitter grapefruit along with some gin and a hint of bourbon in the finish. The feel is oily to start, but quickly turns bitter and very dry. Like a dry martini.....



Simply put, this drinks like a hop infused dry martini with a dash of whiskey. Sounds messy, but it works really well and I wouldn't mind trying another bottle with a little age on it. It complemented my Crock Pot lasagna nicely! My score was a 4.13 / rDev +1.5%.



I hope you enjoyed your new beer endeavors today, have a great week. Here's the scorecard......

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/147/197777/?ba=Prager62

 

Trying this Ommegang Valar Morghulis. Yeah, I know...should've tried this during season but enjoying it now. Cheers.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/42/134091/?ba=cindyjeffsmith

 

Hey, great looking Mastiff!

 

Good evening NBSers and thank you to @utopiajane for the early am wake up call and absolutely wonderful review!
Snow has begun. Not sure if this a big one but its about time we get some winter around here. The Jotul is in full burn mode as we speak. Which means there is another job to do around here. Gotta keep that baby going all night to warm the house. And then the daily hauling
in of wood. Think it's supposed to be frigid next week also. There is alot going on as "kids" are going back and it looks like a job change may be coming in the near future. Not thrilled but without money there are no new beers......I had this last year and really enjoyed it. This I picked up dated 11/20 so its time even though SN has an amazing shelf life....
HARVEST WILD HOP IPA NEOMEXICANUS

Pours an Amber "clear as a bell" color with an off white billowy lasting head that lingers and leaves lots of lacing on the glass.
Smell is of candied stonefruits, citrus blossoms , some melon as expected and very light malts.

Taste follows with Apricot/peach, tangerine, cantelope, red grapefruit with very little malt presence. Bitterness is low and the beer drinks very easily. The beer is different in that it lacks the SN malt and bitterness. I like this alot.

Finishes with an oily coating but is also dry and carbonation is spot on. It's a smooth hoppy drinker.

Another SN winner for me. I really enjoyed the unique hop profile and the West coast malt. This one's a little different and still tasting fresh. I'll buy another if I see it for sure. They have a way of always keeping it interesting.

NOVS (New old Vinyl Sunday) Yea McCartney got too commercial. But there are some tunes I always likes off of this forgotten record. And he was always a great producer. This was his "Rockestra" themed album and he had a top player from many of the top bands on this - Led Zep, Floyd, Who etc. Check out sleeve. The ones Overlooked are two great guitarists/songwriters/ musicians that actually played in his band: Denny Laine (Moody Blues) and Laurence Juber.
Track: Spin it On.
Thanks for listening and have a great week. I'll be back. I think.

 

Well we were playing in the snow the other day and I actually got a good picture for a change.

 

I was really anxious to try this beer and I was not disappointed. My rating is much above average but this beer happens to tick all the boxes of stuff I love about IPAs. It's a little light, on the sweet side, and loaded with citrus aroma and flavor. IMO, New Belgium has a hit on thier hands with this one.

Very drinkable, my glass was empty in short order.

 

Weizenbock time!

Although this one may be 'mutated' a bit beyond recognition . Schneider Tap X Aventinus Cuvee Barrique, a blend of Aventinus Eisbock with Wine Barrel-aged Aventinus.

Well, as you can see, it's from 2014, and there's brett! It's been gettin' busy, too. Those floral/earthy aromas are the first thing that hits me. Really nice surprise. As the beer warms, I also start to get a ton of cherries, spices (dried ginger!), molasses, pumpernickel, fig jam...a whole host of stuff. Specifically, it's starting to remind me of something old-school from my childhood, and those are Italian Wine Cookies. If you had/have an Italian grandma you probably know the ones .

Anyway, on to the highly anticipated first sip- moderately full palate, extremely wine-like, with a full on floral brett assault, and finishing with a slightly tart cherry finish. Holy transmogrifier, Batman! Nothing like a Weizenbock at all going on here. But is it tasty? Hell to the yeah!!! A few more quaffs bring out more bready maltiness and dark fruits. That tart finish sticks along for the ride no matter what. I like that- it's my favorite part.

So, apparently this bottle lingered on the shelf for so long that by the time I decided to shell out the bucks it has surely ceased being the stuff that went into the bottle. It is not at all what I expected, but it's offering me such a great ride that I just don't care . I would buy another one in a heartbeat. A lovely A from me (4.4).

 

Destihl Antiquity rye wine style ale aged with oak spirals.


Pours a dark mahogany, minimal carb, head, lacing. Very malty nose, slight oak and alcohol scents. The rye spice is up front, smooth caramel malt in the middle, slight tang (not strong enough to call a burn) on the back end. The 12.1% is disguised very well. Pretty good, but nothing I'd repeat buy.
A: 4 S: 4. T: 4.25 F: 4.25 O: 4. Total: 4.13

 

I have not read anyone's post yet, but I am looking forward to it. I just started watching the football games from today and I am afraid to read other's post in case there is talk of the games. Anyways I am very excited to try my second saison DuPont. The first that I had was the dry hopped version which was excellent. I hope everyone had a great day today. I am hoping the Panthers and Broncos win.



Cork said 2.014
Look: Hazy orange, big white head, lacing 5
Aroma: AT the onset was skunk, but that quickly faded, little funk, lightly fruity, slightly floral 4.25
Taste: Esters, fruitiness, finishes dry, spicy, 4.25
Feel: Prickly carbonation, smooth despite the high carbonation, medium body 5
Overall: Really good, but just wish it was not so old. I feel like it must have effected this beer (for better or worse). I have had the dry hopped version, which was also fantastic. 4.5

 

Greetings from the great Northwest where we are toasting the end of the Seahawk season. Let's face it, they never really had it. Hit their stride in the closing weeks of the season, but really should have lost last week at Minnie. On to Spring.

But before Spring we need to deal with some porters and stouts in the DBF. Today it is Dark Star Oatmeal Stout from Fremont Brewing. A tasty brew and a fine representation of the style.
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/20680/65266/

38 degrees and raining here in the Columbia Basin. Most of the snow is off the lawn which has me thinking of Spring.

Until next time,

Happy Trails!

 

NBS entry #1 for the day



Peppermint Victory At Sea

Ballast Point Brewing Company
American Porter / 10.00% ABV

3.71/5 rDev -4.6% | Avg: 3.89
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

L- As black as any stout. No light transference evident. A rough pour leads to a 3 finger creamy mocha head. Lacing is copious and lasting.
S- Starts out with a blast of peppermint and finishing with notes of chocolate.
T-Peppermint is the first thing to hit the palate. It starts out quite strong and mellows the more you drink. I have to admit I find it almost medicinal. Eventually the palate compensates and the chocolate of the base beer can be detected.
F- The feel is smooth and silky. Hefty without being overwhelming.
O- Although I find the peppermint overwhelming at first, it improves the more you drink it and the more it warms. All in all, I prefer the original.

 

That looks very interesting!