New Beer Sunday (week 569)

Crowded 2015 3rd Anniversary Ale
Wiens Brewing Company
American Strong Ale / 10.50% ABV

4.46/5rDev n/a | Avg: 4.46
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

22 ounce bottle poured into a tulip

A: Pours black with some mahogany edges, tan colored head, no head retention, some minor lacing, not seeing a whole lot of carbonation.

A: Chocolate, vanilla, caramel, some bourbon, hints of toasted coconut, alcohol is coming through, smells complex, and it has some depth.

T: A touch of bourbon up front, hints of toasted coconut, vanilla, caramel, some oak, moderate amount of bitterness, some chocolate in the aftertaste, a little heat from the alcohol, but this is pretty good.

M: Medium mouthfeel, semi-dry finish, alcohol is noticeable especially as the beer warms.

O: This is very tasty, balanced, bourbon doesn't overwhelm any other of the beers characteristics, it's a little hot but that may improve with some time in the cellar. Definitely going to pick up another bottle.

 

Enjoying a nice Sunday night sipper after dinner.

Dragon's Milk Coffee and Chocolate Reserve has a nice roasted coffee aroma, bourbon and vanilla, mocha, dark chocolate. Flavor is more dark chocolate forward than coffee and it works well with the bourbon, vanilla. It's not overly sweet as it has good balance from the roasted malt. Some warming from the alcohol in the finish. Good carbonation and creamy with a decent medium mouthfeel. I think that NH made a winner and that it is more chocolate forward than coffee unlike most BB coffee stouts.

 

Founders Dirty Bastard
Founders Brewing Company
Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy / 8.50% ABV

4.2/5 rDev +4.2% | Avg: 4.03
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

12 ounce bottle poured into a tulip glass

A: Pours dark brown with a tan colored head, not much head retention, a good amount of lacing, not much carbonation, looks solid.

A: Roasted malts, toffee, caramel, sweet, touch of smoke.

T: Very smooth, creamy, not as roasted as the nose, caramel, toffee, moderate amount of bitterness in the middle, finish is dry, aftertaste has hints of dark fruits but more on the dry side than sweet side, very good.

M: Medium bodied mouthfeel with a dry finish, very creamy and smooth.

O: This is a pretty solid beer, mouthfeel is amazingly creamy and smooth, nice balance of sweet notes and hints of roasted malts on the flavor and aroma, very tasty.

 

Evening all...getting to my first NBS here! Settling in to watching the dem debate here soon, and I spent all morning on my bike (initial temps on my first pick was -13F)!! Had a few earlier, now it's time to really warm up...let's get to it.



Lakewood the Temptress - Bottled November 2014 (Damn, fingerprint smudge on the glass.....)
Imperial Milk Stout
9.1%ABV

Brought from the fridge and warmed up in the glass, pours jet black with a thin brown head that dissipates quickly. Minimal lacing.
Smells of raisin, lots of chocolate, and some cream.
Still quite carbonated and incredibly smooth and creamy.
Tastes of chocolate, malts, some cream, and little alcohol. A little vanilla presence as well. Sweet finish, with virtually no hop presence left.

I'm not sure age did anything good to this (my brother is to blame for that!) but I really enjoyed this one and would love to try it fresh now.

4.28/5 | rDev +5.7%

Look 4.25 | Smell 4.25 | Taste 4.25 | Feel 4.50 | Overall 4.25

Cheers all...may get to another one tonight If I'm feeling it. Last night I have to 'get after it' for some brews, as I start a new school semester on Tuesday.

 

Back after recovering from the end of the 'hawks' season. As someone who has been rooting for them for approx. 32 years, I'm gutted, but I'm still proud of them for having put together a decent season where they successfully avoided the modern-football era post-superbowl loss complete collapse syndrome and overcame some early trainwrecks to finish the season fairly well despite big personnel losses. My biggest criticism is that they were maddeningly inconsistent, which really covers the entire Pete Carrol era. They still have some great players and will be in a good position to compete within their division next year, but as a big football fan, it hurts when your favorite team is no longer in the mix.

Oh, well, first world problems. On to another new beer.

Back in December, while in the Tri-Cities I picked up a porter from a brewery in northern Washington once known by the name of the town/old west theme park it resides in: Winthrop. I visited the brewery when it was still called that in 2005(?) and wasn't overly impressed, though I'd had their beers on-tap at the old Viking Tavern in Spokane prior to that and found them serviceable. Apparently the owner ran the place into the ground, sold it, and they were re-branded as the Old Schoolhouse Brewery. A couple years later, their beers began to show up in bombers, but I always found them a tad bit overpriced, plus I was aware of their pedigree and wasn't sure they were any good at that point. Flash forward a number of years, during which time they not only survived but apparently thrived, but I more or less forgot about them, then the wildfires of this last summer caused, among other things, an evacuation for a time of the town of Winthrop. Full of desire to support a community when it was down, I decided to go out and find a beer or two from Old Schoolhouse - and couldn't find any around Spokane! Giving up, Old Schoolhouse fled once again to the back of my mind, until last month when I found myself looking at their bottles on the shelves of a store in Kennewick. I grabbed their porter because I had once drank the Winthrop brewing porter and remembered liking it...

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1395/53318/?ba=woemad

I don't know if it's the same beer or not, but I found it unremarkably decent, a bland, easygoing kind of porter that would probably most appeal to people who worry dark beers are too big and bitter for their palate, a kind of waystation between a brown ale and a porter, if you will. Although I feel I should try some other beers from Old Schoolhouse before I form an opinion about them as a whole, and this beer is not something I could call bad, it's nothing I'd be drawn to try again.

There's plenty more new beer on hand, but I'm not sure I'll be drinking any more tonight, so Cheers, and happy New Beer Sunday just in case!

 

Good evening, NBSers. Tonight's beverage is from Boulevard, one of my favorite brewers.



Boulevard is one of my favorite brewers because it was there pale ale that helped launch me down the beer nerd path I've chosen. I was out with my rep and a customer for dinner at Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbeque, circa 2005. I ordered my (at that time) usual Amstel Lite:

Ovaltine: "I'll have an Amstel Lite."

Waiter: "We don't have Amstel Lite."

Gasp

Ovaltine's rep: "Try the Boulevard."

Ovaltine: "What's a Boulevard?"

Ovaltine's rep: "It's a beer made in Kansas City."

Note - my rep thought "Boulevard" was the beer. It was actually their Pale Ale and, after nearly passing out from the flavors that floored me on my first sip, well, I started down the path that leads to BA and all of you magnificent BA's.

As for this specific beer, the beautiful 1" tan head is supported by a blackish body that fades to auburn at its edges. The nose yields cinnamon and chocolate aromas, as well as some booze. But the taste - it's creamy (from the cacao), it's sweet (from the cinnamon) - and it's got some welcome heat (from the chiles). On a night where the temp is -15 or so (without the windchill), that heat is most welcome.

Rated 4.21 here:

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/423/166343/

 

New Beer Sunday: An American Porter

Evenin' NBSers with special greetings to the purveyers and pursuers of a practically perfect porter.

The weather here in SE PA was a wintery mix with cloudy skies all day and a few hours of some light snowfall. The next couple of days we'll be getting some of that cold wind and temps courtesy of the folks up there in Minnesota.

This was a quiet day spent mostly watching football (intertwingled with some basketball since the wife is a big fan of Michigan sports teams and there was a Michigan basketball game on as well). Managed to do some multi-tasking and catch both most of the action today as well as develop some writing for a report due next week.

This evening's new beer is the Black Butte Porter from Deshutes. Its been less than two years now since we started getting their beers in this area and I'm pleased to report that those I've had so far do live up to their reputation for quality.

As usual my review is still in progress until the beer is finished, but the most recent draft can be found here:

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/63/198/?ba=drtth

On the whole I'm very much enjoying this porter, there a bit of chocolate, some coffee flavor and light, gentle touches of hops. This one has been added to my "drink more of this one" list and one of these days I hope to organize a side-by-side so that some of my drinking buddies and I can try out 3-4 of the more highly rated porters to see which is the favorite. (I find it hard to decide that when I have the top shelf examples of a style at different times and places from each other.)

No music to share tonight (too much football on TV today) but instead a thought from someone probably familiar to anyone in the US who is raising kids--Dr. Seuss. It's a good line to keep in mind whether finishing off a beer you enjoy or watching your children as they become adult.

"Don't cry because its over. Smile because it happened."

Cheers, all!

 

Happy NBS everyone! I love reading this post during the weekends I work, although jealous that can't partake until later. Good news though, another shift done and now home to crack a new beer.
Surprise snow storm here in N of Boston, and now looks like might get 2-3 inches tonight..ptsd from last year is already setting in!
Tonight am drinking The Bruery 8 Maids a Milking, Belgian imperial milk stout. I got this bottle from my local beer stores beer of the month club, and probably a beer I wouldn't pick out on my own. The Belgian part of this beer really comes out, I get almost a sour sweetness funk from the finish. It looks nice, it has some nice stout character, but I just cant get past that sour/sweet combo that's going on. Oh well, after a shift like today, I just needed some sort of liquid libation.
Cheers

 

New Barrel Aged Imperial Stout Sunday!

Today was rough at the work site, but did enjoy the snow fall...(no accumulation though ) enough about me and my mediocre existence, time for the New Brew!



Let's get a great description going for you guys. For starters this pours that Massive "Imperial Stout" Black Body that I enjoy so much and a Matching Deep Mocha Head. This brew is Perfect looking. Even has nice Alcohol Legs .

The aroma begins rich with Barrel notes. Deep toasted Almonds,Char with a rich Vanilla tone that slaps on the Tobacco edge. Roasted malts take backstage with Toasted Sweet grains and Coffee/Cocoa vibe. This is intensely great smelling beer.

The flavor? First slaps with a melange of Roasted Malt sweetness and Toasted Almonds that then flows with a rich Cocoa flavor. Secondary flavors of Vanilla and Pipe Tobacco that gives submission to some Coffee roast. Slight coconut is there before the Booze comes in. This finishes pretty heavy some booze and long with a Maple Syrup undertone. Lingering flavors of Coffee, Fudge and Coconut in the aftertaste. The feel is Medium-Full smooth body with Velvet carbonation.

Overall: DAYUM! This is a special brew. It's got that "Wale-Esque" Persona with being intense in each of its characteristics. Looks perfect, Smells Perfect, Mouthfeel is on point and the flavor is multilayered and complex. Not going overboard in its complexity that tires your tastebuds out but enough to keep you guessing what other flavors you can pick out. If you like BCBS or (dare I say) Black Tuesday (without the Total Sugar Bomb Booze) you will enjoy this offering. I say it's well worth it's price of admission and is a great sipper. This brew is Recommended!

Grade: A+

Cheers my fellow New Beer Sunday crew!

 

So I was going back and fourth between the Broncos game and making Chicken Parmesean. It doesn't look like much but ended up tasting fantastic. Everything came together in the end, just like the Broncos game.


One of my beer friends hooked me up with this beer. Tastes like an IPA mixed with one of those Chocolate oranges that show up around Christmas. Very tasty!

 

Yeah I, too, picked out that Sour/Tartness too. I wasn't a fan.

 

NBS Entry # 2



Otra Vez

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Gose / 4.50% ABV

3.88/5 rDev +2.1% | Avg: 3.8
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

L-Pours a clear yellow with a quickly diminishing 1 inch white head.
S- The smell is faintly tart up front with some breadiness coming through in the middle and back end.
T- I'm not sure this is rally a Gose in the traditional sense. There is almost no noticeable salinity and no real tartness in the flavor. The taste is very watermelon-like which I find quite enjoyable. Not a Gose, but still enjoyable.
F- Light and refreshing. Typical for the style. This would be an excellent summer beer. Not sure why it got released in the middle of winter.
O-I love the Gose style. This is not a Gose. I do however really enjoy this beer. Still I take a few points off.

 

It might be hard to do but see if you can track down a bottle of this after it has been aged for 3 or 5 years at the brewery. A real eye-opener about what proper aging of some beers can lead to.

 

Hmmm, the orignator of the CANquest (tm) seeks out bottles as well. What is this world coming to?

 

Useful report. Thanks!

 

Interesting. I have a friend who did me a favor who is fond of that beer so I gave him a six pack but swopped out two for some others I thought he might also enjoy. When I reviewed it I did give it a higher score but partly that was because I was also going through a period where I was revisiting some AALs and thought it some better than most of them were.

 

Good evening NBS'ers! For today, decided to try:

35K Milk Stout 7.00% ABV
Against The Grain Brewery



Despite the suggestion to drink from the can, I poured it and it comes out opaque black, started with a creamy looking head but disappeared quite fast. The scent is that of cocoa, chocolate and some smokey malt smell. First sip: sweet(but not overly) milk chocolate, cocoa and what stands out is a nice roasty finish that brings it together. The feel is not too rich, but definitely creamy and gets slightly more bitter as it warms. Overall, very simple and easy to drink milk stout, would have again. Cheers!

 

Imperial Stout - Barrel Aged
Wiens Brewing Company
American Double / Imperial Stout / 10.50% ABV

4/5rDev n/a | Avg: 4.06
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 ounce bottle poured into a snifter

A: Pours black with some light coming through on the edges, no head retention, head was tan colored and creamy, looks a little thin for a barrel aged imperial stout, not much carbonation.

A: Bourbon, toasted coconut, alcohol is very noticeable, not much else on the nose.

T: Some bourbon, toasted coconut, hints of dark fruit like figs, plums, dates, touch of dark chocolate, roasted malts, very smooth and easy drinking, aftertaste is of dark fruits and dark chocolate.

M: Smooth, velvety, creamy, good amount of carbonation, looks thin but is medium bodied with a semi-dry finish.

O: This is pretty good, an easy drinking BA imperial stout, lacks some bourbon presence but overall has some depth and complexity, tasty.

 

I love this beer. Other than the Soy Sauce comment, to me there was always a Pear or Green Apple flavor with the Sugar that I dug the most out of this beer. Cheers Amigo!

 

I share your enthusiasm for that beer. This last December I finished off the last bottle from a 4 pack of the 11.2 oz size that I had bought 3 years before with the intent of drinking one each December. So my last bottle was 3 years old and definitely a jewel to savor and enjoy.