New Beer Sunday (week 573)

Sweet pinch-hitting @JackHorzempa! And good to see Brooklyn's BCS holds up.

I cracked open a new Texas-brewed wild ale for me, though it’s far from new for planet Earth. Bottled in August 2014 was this one:

Ranger Creek Small Batch Series No. 9 Blackberry Sour

Classified as an American wild ale, it’s a fantastic sour. I did the research.

I got home from the late shift around 1:30 a.m. Sunday and cracked open a bomber of Jolly Pumpkin Oro de Calabaza. After nursing that bottle for 3-4 hours, I felt pretty dang good ... as you can imagine. And looking at all of my weekend options (Sunday-Monday is my weekend), it made some sense to do my New Beer Sunday right then. I mean, I’ve got this Ranger Creek beer burning a hole in my pocket, as it were, so I said what the hell. Drank a bunch of water, ate some hummus, drank more water, ate a bunch of unsalted peanuts, drank some more water ... and with a relatively cleansed palate ...

... Ranger Creek’s No. 9 tasted almost EXACTLY like Jolly Pumpkin’s Oro de Calabaza. It’s even got a lot of JP’s signature (for me) fingernail polish remover aroma and flavor. It’s uncanny.

However, this particular Ranger Creek label says “blackberry” which gets me all excited because I love blackberries, but the beer has very little blackberry aroma or flavor, which saddens me, BUT it tastes like freaking JP’s Oro de Calabaza, which I love! What a dilemma!!!

So I graded it out in a kind of split manner. Here’s the official review:
3.82 (rDev +9.1%)

I’ve tried two of Ranger Creek’s “small batch series” beers, both sours with fruit added, and both tasted like great sours with almost no fruit presence. This one in particular has some fantastic musty barn flavor with plenty of lemon, lemon peel, kumquat and earthy flavor, and as it has warmed, the grainy aftertaste is almost too much it's so good. It’s like I’m eating tortilla chips or some toasted rice cakes ... after all that tartness up front, it's like a meal. In just the *aftertaste*. So the base beer is really good, good enough that I want to keep trying this brewery.

The fact that there’s not much blackberry flavor? Disappointing, yes, but frankly blackberries (most of us call them dewberries in Texas) often are tart/sour with almost no sweetness, so what was I expecting? I don’t know. A blackberry soda? That’s stupid. Ranger Creek doesn’t make soda ... they make beer, and this one was a pretty tasty one all in all.

Enjoy your new beers, NBSers!

Cheers!

 

Ah, that beer is a jewel!

 

5.8% alcohol. 32 IBU. Introduced in 2015.

3.56/5 rDev -8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Samuel Adams Nitro Coffee Stout has a medium, creamy, slightly uneven, beige head, a dark brown, almost black, appearance, and some twig-like lacing splotches left behind. The aroma is of sweet, strong coffee, acidic malt, and a shade of chocolate. Taste is of those elements, with an across-the-sip charred bitterness. Mouthfeel is medium and a tad slick, and Samuel Adams Nitro Coffee Stout finishes dry and pleasant.

RJT

 

Thank you @JackHorzempa for getting NBS off to a great start.
I initially wasn't going to use this beer, but my wife prevailed upon me. Let me tell you about my wife Jill. I've known her for about 15 years. She's a pediatric nurse and I saw her often at the hospital. We had a certain chemistry and flirted with each other, but never dated. Fast forward to a staff Christmas party five years ago. Jill came up to me and said that she thought we would make a good couple. I laughed and told her she had had too much to drink, but she said she was dead serious. So, long story short, we dated, got married, and are having a wonderful time together. Jill is beautiful, intelligent, compassionate, and downright funny. I can't imagine life without her.
So, I chose My Bloody Valentine for NBS.
In a pint glass the beer was a dark reddish brown color with a small tan head and a little bit of lace.
Aroma of chocolate and bread. Some floral hops.
The taste was better than the aroma promised. Chocolate and toast. Floral/earthy hops.
Medium-bodied with a little bitterness.

 

I'm less than a year into my journey through the rabbit hole we call craft beer. When I began this journey last summer I really didn't know what I was looking for, and I wasn't really ready for the joy in the results. In any case, sometime around August I made a list of beers that I wanted to try that included KBS, Darkness, BA Yeti, Dark Lord, and Curieux (see picture). Since then, I've drown myself in KBS, stocked up both regular and BA Darkness in my newly founded cellar, indulged in a variety of Yeti options, and struck out on Dark Lord. Curieux had sort of been forgotten, a ghost that I was sort of aware of in the corner of my eye, but not floating in my full field of vision. Until last weekend when my wife and I took a Sunday trip to Chicago to enjoy the Field Museum on a day when a portion of the crowd would be busy watching some sort of foosball game or something. After the museum we stopped by Beer Temple, a hell of a bottle shop if you if get the chance to go, and one of my favorite Chicago stops. Long story short, Curieux was on the shelf!

The bottle was shared with friends during a board game night. A 2013 bottle of BA Speedway was also in attendance so, suffice to say, it was a good night. My initial reaction to Curieux was to be impressed by the smoothness of the brew. We talk about silkiness from time to time, but I haven't had a lot of beers that really brought that image to mind as much as Curieux did. The beer wraps itself around your tongue and gently holds you in a warm embrace. That silky, almost buttery, caress is accompanied by a brilliantly blended combination of tastes fold through your mouth with vanilla, coconut, a touch of breadiness, and a slight hint of bourbon from the 8 weeks of aging.

My regret from the experience is that I neglected to purchase more than one bottle, but at least I'm now armed with the knowledge that this beer should never be left out of my sights again. Do yourselves the favor of finding this bottle and sharing it with friends, you won't be sorry.

 

So yesterday this guy I plow for decides to pay me in this beer 4 bottles, of this silky smooth RIS. Thanks, now time to review this gem.

Poured into a 16 oz Woodstock Inn Brewery snifter at near room temperature, bottled get this 2/10/16. Pours near pitch black, with a glorious 2 plus finger tan head, that took 6 minutes to settle into a thick film of bubbles, coating the side of the glass with webs of lace. 4.75 Smell is roasty coffee, dark chocolate, vanilla beans, hints of tobacco and leather, a little alcohol, and some toffee. 4.5

Taste wow! Everything from the nose, dominated by roasty coffee, dark chocolate, and vanilla beans, with everything else in a cameo appearance at best. 5 Mouthfeel close to large, moderate carbonation which is perfect, a little dry as it should be, and drinks very easy for its 9.5% ABV. 5

Overall this is one of the best stouts I have ever had, this brewery makes me proud to be from New Hampshire. Jzeilinger I would gladly pay it forward with one of these gems. 4.75

 

I have to work later today and won't see my girlfriend on this mutally-agreed-upon-pointless-Hallmark-holiday, but I will be spending time with my second love... beer.

Beer #854: Dark Horse Bourbon Barrel Aged Plead the 5th ('14 Vintage)

'14 Vintage bottle given to me unexpectedly by a craft beer enthusiast (Aaron <3). Haven't had this before because, for obvious reasons, I've never seen it anywhere. Heard great things, so I'm expecting great things. I wonder how this will be with 2-3 years on it (if you include how long it was in the barrel).

Appearance: Aggressive-ish pour didn't do a whole lot at all for a head. Tiny tan ring on top of the beer, but that's it. In the glass, the beer looks black and viscous. Plays the part of a BBA'd imperial stout. (4.25/5)

Smell: In a word... mellow, I guess. Great aroma, but all a bit subdued. Maybe a preferred word would be balanced. I'm making it sound like a bummer. Nice bourbon, vanilla, and oak nose, with some coffee. There's a faint amount of booze as well, and quite a bit of sweetness. Right now, I think this may be past its prime just because its aroma is on the quiet side. I may also be crazy. Regardless, this stuff smells incredible. (4.75/5)

Taste/feel: Starts off with a rich roasted coffee flavor with a bit of chocolate until mid-sip where more depth/the barrel starts to come through and stay until the finish -- very pleasant and usual BBA'd flavors come in, like the barrel itself, bourbon, and vanilla. I get a little plain cake doughnut in there on the back end too, which is something I pick up occasionally in the style. The alcohol is exceptionally well-hidden, no doubt helped by the age on this bottle -- I don't taste or feel much alcohol at all. This is impressive to me just because I've yet to personally have a BBA'd imperial stout that was aged this long. The mouthfeel on this isn't ideal at first, but it's close. It goes in feeling a little thin with an unexpected fizz of carbonation, but as it sits on the tongue, it eventually starts to thicken and slicken (not a word, my apologies) up. Delicious as all hell. (4.75/5, 4.5/5)

The more I drink this, the more I believe the time to drink the '14 Vintage is NOW. There is no alcohol to really note, and the flavors are not going to randomly improve with more age. If you have any '14, drink it up or trade it up or give it up now so everybody is happy. This is truly a remarkable BBA'd stout. The way the age (presumably, given some reviews of fresher bottles) has mellowed this beer out has made it one hell of a delicious beer. I wish I had a lot more of this stuff, but I can't thank Aaron enough for this one bottle. If you have the opportunity to buy or trade for it, certainly do... just remember to not sit on your bottles for too long. Beer is meant for you to consume, not store in a shoe box in your bedroom.

(4.75/5)

 

Left Hand Hard Wired Nitro Coffee Porter

Look: As black as midnight (some ruby hues can be found) with a creamy, foamy head that basically doesn't recede. Massive sheets of foamy lacing coat the glass.

Aroma: Bitter black coffee, dark chocolate, roasted malts, charred grains.

Taste: An immediate metallic taste that soon disappears into a sea of bitter chocolate and cold black coffee. The aftertaste is quite bitter.

Mouthfeel: Creamy, smooth.

Overall: I was skeptical at first because Left Hand Sawtooth Nitro is not as good as the regular Sawtooth, but this beer is surprisingly rich with lots of chocolate and coffee.

 

New Stone Sunday

Saturday was a long day, but very rewarding. We trucked to eastern Ohio for for our district's Sectional Swimming Tournament. While we are still waiting on the other districts results, based on last years seed times it looks like my sophmore advanced individulally in his breaststroke and his IM, while his Medley Relay is also a shoe in. Our boys team came in third out of 25 teams to boot. The best part was that I volunteered to time the second half of the meet and he was in my lane. No video required for that memory.

I also scored (actually my wife did on her phone) a KBS Week ticket, so I get to visit Founders and my friend who lives 10 minutes from there. On to the new beer.

Star Wars style




The appearance was probably the best aspect of this one for me. This is the head retention with a modest pour after about 10 minutes.

3.98/5 rDev -4.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

It pours a pretty middle of the road consistency. Black with a whispy light tan head. A lot like a cappuccino or expresso. Great retention. Still has a film on top 20 minutes in.

Smells like coffee beans, dark chocolate, a hint of citrus.

The dominant expresso flavor that comes through is very smooth. There is also some bitter chocolate and sweet cocoa powder. There is a touch of lemon/orange. It is hoppy in the aftertaste, along with some ashy roasted grains.

The body is on the thinner side for a bigger ABV stout, but the texture is still excellent. Very creamy/frothy. I think the citrus hops contribute more to the feel here than in the flavor.

I was worried this would be too hoppy. Overall, I think it still may be, but is not what I feared. Honestly the hop profile offers more of a spicey/crispness more than anything until the lingering aftertaste. Things become a little muddled at that point though and bring down could be a much better tasting beer. Very good, but not outstanding. I would sit on them for awhile personally. I don't think it justifies the $18/6 price tag.

Happy NBS everyone, and remember...

 

Good morning New BSers and thank you @JackHorzempa for getting us started. Today is the same at the polar opposite of SE PA - NW PA - definite brass monkey alert. Although the sun is trying to fry us, the albedo is so high that all that solar goodness is being reflected back into space. Another of our 30 sunny days being wasted! @lordofthewiens - lovely story of work-related romance for this fakest of all Hallmark holidays. I knew many nurses who met your description of your wife but, since I was already married to the most wonderful woman on the planet, I never followed up.

Before I launch into today's new beer, is anyone familiar with Belgium Beer Me? This was posted in another thread and I'm definitely interested in in the Bamberg Fruhling Bierreise. Has anyone here gone on one of these tours? How was it/worth the geld? Freedom/food/bier? And how the hell do you umlauts on here?

OK. Today's New Beer is:




I've been holding this one because I love sours but hate Golden Monkey. Conflict avoidance. Out of desperation caused by lack of new beers to try today, this finally came up in the rotation. Thank you Brettanomyces for making Golden Monkey palatable!

Price data unavailable
25.4 oz bottle bottled 30 Apr 15 at 42 degrees into a hand washed and dried JK snifter
Aroma slight sour smell
Head small (Two cm, aggressive pour), dense white head of tiny bubbles, rapidly diminishing to an irregular one to two mm ring and mosaic-like partial layer
Lacing - none
Body medium yellow, hazy (not chill haze)
Flavor distinctly sour, no similarity to Golden Monkey (fortunately), not noticing any marked Brett funk such as leather or horse blanket; no malt, no hops, no alcohol, no diacetyl
Palate medium, watery, soft carbonation

Appearance 3.5, Aroma 4, Flavor 4, Palate 3.5, Overall 3.75. Rating 3.87, Avg 4.04, rDev -4.2

An OK brew, worlds better than the base beer, but still just another sour with no other redeeming features.

 

Happy Valentine's Day, NBS!! Finally a non-commercial holiday! Wait, I am thinking about tomorrow, maybe? (Unless you are shopping for a mattress or a car or a ).

Oh well, happy NBS, nonetheless. In keeping with the theme, though, I will mention my S.O. (because I never do in these posts ) and our "alternate lifestyle" love triangle we have with beer and each other (there is debate on the order, still ). She constantly reminds me that she was an "early adopter" of craft beer. I constantly remind her that she is older. She usually wins the discussion.

We spent a lot of time at HHs with other friends (sometimes without) before actually deciding to "officially" date. Often times craft beer was involved (and DFH Pub was a popular location), and we decided that even though we had just started dating (early in the calendar year), and weren't sure how it would turn out, we would plan a 2-week trip to AZ and CO for the Grand Canyon and GABF. Obviously, it has worked out as I have two beers poured in this (and many) pictures. Today's offering for us both is C.R.E.A.M. by Sixpoint.


The look is nice as I expected, allowing me to do my shot where I get the beer label through the beer. The head built up on one pour, a little lighter on the second. There is early lacing from the initial head, but not much further down the glass. Nose is about what I expect from a coffee cream ale. To me it's a kind of cigarette-smoke and coffee at a diner like nose. The nose overall isn't very powerful, and the nose is faintly present.

The taste makes me think of green coffee beans (even though I have never thrown any such thing in my mouth). There is a leafy/woody like bitterness with a hint of coffee near the back early on. I thought I might get a little more maltiness up front, but there is only a fleeting sweet note at the very beginning of the taste. The coffee seems to "roast" as the taste moves to the end, as the "greenness" fades and the flavors I equate to a cup o' joe. There is a little rubber-like resistance to the feel that I might explain also as a "overly wet resinous" feel (maybe?).

I have had 3 coffee cream ales now, and while Carton's Regular Coffee was a whole other ballgame, this beer does remind me in general of Calm Before the Storm. Looking at my ratings, I think this tasted a little better, though it was severely lacking in the nose compared to the other.

As I typed this last line, the beer has warmed considerably and is becoming sweeter as it warms, it seems. This is helping, and I am now wondering if this is like 4Beans was for me: better at near or actual room temperature.

 

Greetings friends and happy Valentine's Day,
13 degrees on our walk just now. The ground is like a rock, and snow is on the way! It is colder than usual and it burns. It's a beautiful crystalline day, good for soup, spicy food, and one's best friend...which, in my case, is my wife!
Today's beers are Troeg's Nugget Nectar and Natty Greene's Mt. Mitchell Single Hop IPA. I've had Nugget Nectar before, loved it then and it is still a great beer that I would drink at any point. It is a beautiful amber, with a nice fluffy white head. This beer smells awesome, tastes awesome, and that's all I have to say about that! Troeg's Nugget Nectar is a great beer!
Natty Greene's Mt. Mitchell Single Hop IPA (Eureka) is very pretty in the glass, a burnished gold/yellow blend, throwing a gorgeous white cap, with tropical aromatics and a very nice malt backbone. It is not my favorite beer, but it is quite good. Natty Greene's has a brew pub downtown and a production brewery just at the Greensboro Coliseum.... Springsteen is in town soon! Natty's specialty beers are far better than their everyday offerings and these guys have been at the forefront of the brewing explosion since the early 2000s. Mt. Mitchell is the tallest mountain east of the Mississippi River, at 6,684 feet, and it is a wild environment. Situated north and east of Asheville, just off of The Blue Ridge Parkway, the climate is very unique and walking out through the area is eye-opening.


Here is a warm song for a cold day. This tune simply is a miracle, and it has made me smile since I was a child.

 

Fantastic! When a "beautiful, intelligent, compassionate, and downright funny" woman named Jill
thinks you would make a good couple...YOU ROLL WITH IT!
Cheers to you both!

(Back with an NB later,)

 

My story is a bit different, but I love how you were able to reconnect again through time. I didn't get married until I was 30 and I had never met anyone that I wanted to marry up until then. I was all over the world for years, and led a crazy life. I saw Martha, working at a deli owned by a friend, and started hanging around like a hound. She had a boyfriend for a short period thereafter. Our first date was St. Patrick's Day 1981 and we were married three months later. Our daughter was born in 1982 and good God I love my wife and family and have been a blessed man for all of these years.! Cheers to you and Jill!

 

Hey NBS crew! Dropping by since I had something to try this week. Cheers!



4.09/5 rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours jet black, thick frothy khaki head forms with great retention and significant lacing.

Nose is relatively standard - thick roasty malts, a bit boozy, and big rich coffee notes.

Flavor is on point but definitely a touch hot. Coffee is dark roasted, nice chocolate notes. Finish is long on the roasted coffee notes.

Feel is a nice full body - softer than expected for the higher ABV. Carbonation is about perfect - a bit high so nice heavy pour and a bit agitation goes a long way.

Overall definitely a nice imperial coffee stout.

 

My first Valentine's day NBS beer is this gem from Jack's Abby.



I picked this one up yesterday at Craft Beer cellar in Waterbury as a set of singles for the wife and I.

Hoponius Union

Jack's Abby Brewing
American Pale Lager / 6.70% ABV

4.26/5 rDev +0.7% | Avg: 4.23
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

L-Pours golden with a modest 1cm white head. Lacing is spotty but lasting.
S-A large citrus presence let you know the beer is well hopped.
T- The beer is smooth. The citrus hop flavor lasts throughout the brew. Not complex, but delicious.
F-The beer has a medium mouthfeel with light carbonation. The beer coats the tongue and the flavor lingers. This is a very good thing.
O-This is the kind of beer that says "hops are amazing". It doesn't try to get tricky. It takes one thing and trys to showcase it with greatness. I will be revisiting this beer many times in the future.

 

Good Morning BAs. Wife and girls are 4 hours away for the weekend at a dance competition so it was just me and the little boy (1 yo) this weekend. Dude's inner clock is set to EARLY no matter the day so up at 0530, I needed something in the coffee realm. I'm reviewing The Barista, from Clown Shoes. An 8.5% abv breafast brown ale.



First off, the pour on this beer was well above average. It looked great. Nice dark brown color and a huge, frothy, mocha-colored head. The foam just sat there as if it needed to be told to go away. Left some nice lace down the glass as well.





After the pour settled, big notes of fresh espresso beans, bitter chocolate and crusty bread comes forward. The taste pretty much followed suit with the coffee flavors starring in this one. The feel was light medium to medium with a good amount of carbonation. Finish was a bit on the bitter side. Overall, this is one that I would definitely add to my morning beer rotation. Is it Breakfast Stout? No, not quite. But it is worth a try.

A: 4.5; S: 3.75; T: 4; M: 4; O: 4

 

Don't know if it's because it's Valentine's Day but so far y'all are bringing it! That means I gotta step up my game as well.

I'm just polishing off my first cup of coffee and contemplating heading over to Brain Freeze and finding out what a Breakfast Cone is like, then coming back home and kicking off NBS with a coffee beer in a can that comes from the most urbanized portion of the state of Oregon.

Later, the possibilities include taking a stroll to River City's tap room and trying their Congratulator Doppelbock (& maybe their eisbock if any survived their anniversary party - I went but was beered out before I could get any; RC wasn't the only local brewery celebrating an anniversary that day), plus I've got a special treat from Selkirk Abbey awaiting me back home that I just added to the database.

 

Happy NBS Valentines Day edition! A rather frigid and windy day with snow moving in later. That seems like the perfect recipe for today's selection. I'm heading straight to the dessert today with this Stone 20th Anniversay Encore Series Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout. Let's pour this 9.2% abv. treat in my Stone almost pint glass and hopefully spoil ourselves with two of life's guilty pleasures. Beer and chocolate!

Pours a semi thick black with a half finger of mocha foam that settles quickly. The aroma is rather hoppy and floral in nature to start. A bit of bakers chocolate, molasses and oatmeal follow. Flavor is pretty hoppy as well with some pine and floral qualities. There's some milk chocolate up next, along with some smoke and grain. The feel is oily and medium bodied with a bitter dry finish.



Overall it's a good beer but falls a bit short of the description in my opinion. A bit too hop forward, lacking in bitter chocolate, roast, and a thicker feel. I'm thinking of buying another to cellar as I have a hunch this could change in a better direction for me. With that said my score was a 3.87 / rDev -6.7%.

Enjoy your day 'lovers'! Here's the official skinny and a throwback tune suitable for the day.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/147/211565/?ba=Prager62