New Beer Sunday (week 575)

This thread is making me want to drink. Great posts already. I'm way hungover from a marathon day of beer drinking in Brooklyn and I'm not sure I'll be able to join in with a New Beer, but hell, it's still early.

 

Ok, so DFH Days of Summer celebration behind me, on to New Beer Sunday. The 120 Minute did us in last night, eventually. Earlier this week, I mentioned to my bottle shop I thought I might have had a bad bottle from the brewer who also produced my NBS beer today. In fact, it's possible the beer today is the base for the "bad beer." Anyhow, will get to that, but the bottle shop guy said he'd tell the rep and let me grab another bottle to double check. The second try was better and didn't seem bad, but it also wasn't so much better than the first bottle that I can definitely say the first was bad. I offered to pay for the second bottle if it turned out it just was a beer I didn't like, but the beer shop guy trusted my judgement of "badness." Pretty cool, and things like that are why I return to the shop often.

So, hoping this beer doesn't remind me of the previous one, but this is from 3 Stars from DC, an imperial porter called Pandemic.


This beer pours like oil, and I am thinking with the imperial moniker this may be more of a stout. The first pour's deep tan head fizzled out relatively quickly and I feared as this was reminiscent of the other beer. However, the second pour's head looked good and stayed around for some photos. Eventually, though, there weren't many bubbles atop this black beer.

The nose is mostly burnt toast, with a little hint of licorice. I'm now expecting a taste that is what I think of as a classic porter taste. Let's see if my expectations are met.

First taste has me sort of in between the two (porter and stout). The beer isn't as toasty or bitter as I expected from the nose. It has a little sweetness, sort of like a Baltic Porter, and a light hint of spice a la root beer. The beer is lightly tingling and could use some more carbonation. The beer ends fairly clean, but with just a little lingering flavor that is that does bring the burnt toast notes back into play (but very light).

Definitely better than the previous beer I've had from them, but it doesn't quite make me desire it again, mainly the lack of carbonation does the beer in for me.

 

Happy NBS! What a beautiful, unseasonably warm day in NJ. Sunny and almost 60 degrees. Despite a weekend full of studying and toddler birthday parties, a couple of great beers have been had. Yesterday was highlighted by Smuttynose's East Coast Common, which I thought was a deliciously unique and hop-forward take on the California Common style. Definitely recommend that one. I also managed to get a new beer in today while watching the EPL matches. Today's entry is a seasonal from Two Roads Brewing in CT. I've had a few other beers from Two Roads before. While I wasn't a huge fan of their Worker's Comp Saison, I thought their Ol' Factory Pils was really good. However, I think this one is going to top both of them.

Two Roads Henry's Farm Double Bock Lager



The pour is outstanding. Ruby brown color with great clarity. A large, creamy, off-white head sits on top and is very persistent. In fact, almost five minutes after pouring it still had a solid one-finger head on it. Simply stunning in the glass.

Heavy toasted malt aroma with toffee, nuts, raisin, and even a little dark chocolate. Hops are nowhere to be found.

The toffee, toasted malt, and raisin stick around in the flavor and a big wave of caramel sweetness joins them. It's rich and sweet with long-lasting flavor.

Medium-fill bodied and extremely clean. Its lively carbonation keeps it from becoming too cloying.

Overall, this beer is getting high marks from me. I think it is excellent and certainly worthy of a try, especially if you are a fan of lagers, like me. It showcases the malt beautifully but is lighter and little bit sweeter to me than other Dopplebocks like Ayinger Celebrator or Andechs. Cheers!

look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Score: 4.23 / 5

 

Happy NBS!
Spent all day yesterday at the junkyard pulling out a new differential for my rx7 so that was awesome
Need to start pulling the old one off today..but first a new beer to get me going.
Anchorage Brewings Mosiac Saison-With brettanomyces!
Sounds awesome! But haven't been drinking many saisons lately as I got tired of mediocre versions. This was not that!



4.53/5 rDev +9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

L: Light golden color nice finger of head turned into a layer of foam that stuck around.

S: Wow! Super tropical fruity hops.. Dusty musty Brett funk some stone fruit and hay.

T: Mango apricot passion fruit ...stone fruit and it all blends so well with the musty Brett funk.

F: Lighty crispy carbonation. Maybe a bit too light?

O: Fantastic saison didn't have the highest hopes as most saisons have been letting me down lately but this is everything I want.

 

Nice to see another American made doppelbock, something far too rare. Sounds like a legit one, too.

 

It's a mixed bag. In a pure binary sense, it does still turn on and run all the apps it needs to etc (with the exception of the front facing camera... a victim of the cracks. Also victim to the cracks are all of the touch/home buttons at the bottom of the phone. So once I open an app there's no way for me to exit it! No 'home' button, no 'back' button, no '...whatever you'd call that other one that basically acts like ctrl+alt+del' button...
My options are limited to trying to use voice commands to open a different app, or turning the phone off and then back on to get back to the home screen.

It has certainly helped curtail my bad habit of mindlessly playing on my phone!

 

This is why I use this thread to fill out my wants.

 

My thoughts exactly! I am going to try to track this down while in NYC.

 

Zeelander, Pompeii, and Xhops Gold are my favorite offerings from TG!

 

I love this beer... however I have only had it when it was seasoned for several months. Good choice.

 

Warm and windy day for February. Thank you El Nino! I did some yard work, which is usually done in April around these parts.

A couple of delicious new beers to start this day for me.

Oh Mirror Mirror, who is the fairest of them all? You are! A wonderful blend of sweet malts, dark fruit, some spicy hops and a touch of wine barrel. The flavor is of brown sugar covered figs, caramel, toffee, spicy hops and wine barrel. Quite complex an very inviting. Very, very smooth with a soft mouthfeel. Heavier body, but lacking in carbonation. Creates a velvety presence in the mouth. Turns out this is one of my favorite BWs!



Lakefront Maibock. The aroma of pale malt, hops, and fruits in front. Some orange and spice along with grain. Nice heavy malts pair with a fruity flavor and grain. A touch of hops to round it out. Very creamy and dense, with pops of carbonation underneath. It ends only slightly dry. This is a good Maibock!

 

Hello New Beer Sunday!

Sitting at home, after work, and decided to start my beer Sunday, and here it is.


Lake Monster Calhoun Claw Pilsner

Lighter golden colored. There is minimal head, and what's there disappeared fairly quickly. The nose is minimal.

As for the taste. There is some sweetness to this beer. There is a slight citrus hint to it also. Fairly easy drinking.

 

Good day NBS afficianados! A sunny and rapidly warming day along the southern shore that's supposed to approach 60 degrees today. All this after a foot of snow just mere days ago. I'll take it! I'm starting today with a 12oz. bottle of New Holland Dragon's Milk Reserve Vanilla Chai that I scored in Michigan a few weeks ago. A bottle date of 01/21/16 with a 11.0% abv. poured in a 13oz. snifter for research.

Pours a thin cola brown color leaving a baby finger of tan foam. The aroma is Chai heavy with cardamom, a little vanilla and wet cardboard. Flavor is Chai heavy as well revealing some ginger and a little vanilla. Some bourbon barrel and oak are hiding in the back, along with some medicinal bitterness. The feel is typically thin and slick like regular Dragon's Milk.



Another Dragon's Milk Reserve variant that falls short for me. A bit too heavy on the Chai which seems to bury the vanilla and barrel giving it a bit of a herbal/medicinal flavor in my opinion. I'm glad I went from my past experiences with these Reserve variants and opted for a single at $4.39 instead of the four pack. My score was 3.77 / rDev -6.5%.

I may possibly be back for another if I'm not totally spent from chasing a new puppy around. She's presently fast asleep after a very active morning which will end when the monster awakes. I'm definitely stoked for the next NBS/BIF as well. I already picked a few bottles up this weekend. Enjoy your day! Here's the skinny......

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/335/197840/?ba=Prager62

 

Sierra Nevada Cactus & Grapefruit a-Rita, AKA Otra Vez Gose-style Ale
I tried a number of Goses last summer and decided it was a style that I did not enjoy. Sierra Nevada has not changed my mind. This brew in very light in color and body has a mildly fruity aroma and taste. The aftertaste is extremely dry. That must be the sourness that many seem to enjoy. I might revisit Otra Vez in the Summer, it may be enjoyable on a hazy, humid 90+ degree day.

 

First gorgeous day here in months. Windows are open, making beef jerky, listening to beloved upbeat tunes and drinking this quite nice sessionable dry irish stout. This brewery nails it every time.

 

I thought the Chocolate and Coffee was fantastic, and the Triple Mash was a big booze bomb, but seemed like it'd age well. Would be curious to try that one.

 

Since we're on the second page, I'll repost the link for the NBS BIF thread: http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/triple-threat-nbs-bif-3.388922/page-2#post-4553705 . Go to that thread, and mention that you'd like to be in. And, I know you want to be in.

 

I have seen them 4 times. The first time was the only concert I have been to where after two long encores, and the lights turned full on, and announcements made to leave the small stadium, and Mike Love announcing, "We dont' know any more songs,man," the crowd refused to leave, and the Beach Boys came back out for a third encore that lasted another half hour. Most underrated musical geniuses of our generation who absolutely kill live.

 

I am in,