New Beer Sunday (week 580)

Next up for today is ...

Epiphany by Foundation Brewing


Pour is slightly hazy golden orange. Nice bubbly chalk white head.

Smell is straight peaches and ripe mangoes. Damn. That's a good smell.

Taste follows the nose. Ripe mangoes coat the tongue. Oranges dance in the background while grapefruit bitterness slides in for the finish.

Mouthfeel is a little sharper. I believe this is due to more carbonation. Not a bad sharp. Still smooth, but the overall bitterness of the beer is enhanced, while the mouthfeel isn't too heavy.

Overall another amazing IPA courtesy of @jhavs

I started with the swish and epiphany due to the discussion in the Triple threat thread. And I was not disappointed by either.

 

Thanks. It's nice to get a review from someone that can be relatively neutral. As I said in my note that you couldn't find, I like Belgians a lot and I can brew them cheaper than I can buy them, although not as good as commercial versions they are good enough for me. They help me get through the long cold winters.

 

One of my favorites! But the Tree House brews will not disappoint!

 

Looks pretty in that HF glass!

 

NBS beer #2 is a newly released beer from Von Trapp. I wanted something light with dinner and this fit the bill nicely.



Von Trapp Weissbier

von Trapp Brewing
Hefeweizen / 5.20% ABV

4.04/5 rDev n/a | Avg: 4.08
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

L-The beer pours a lightly hazy golden amber. The head is a full 3 fingers in height and slightly off white in color. Lacing is spotty.
S- a musty wheat bread with hints of clove and vanilla.
T-Most hefe's i've had lean toward the banana side typical in the style. This one leans more to clove with just a touch of vanilla. Hops are not noticed and the beer finishes ever so slightly sweet.
F-Carbonation after the initial pour may be a little lighter than is normal for the style. The mouthfeel is silky, but not heavy. Maybe lighter side of medium.
O- von Trapp has done an excellent job here. This is a very good Hefe. I could easily drink this beer in multiples. This would be a good beer intro beer for non craft drinkers who don't enjoy hop bitterness. I'll have more of this as the weather warms.

 

I think I'll go out on a limb and predict it will be awesome.

 

One of my personal top IPAS. Asolutely love that brew.

 

Both Jim. The answer is always both.

 

Well it's excellent so far. I must be honest, I've technically tried this beer before. But this was before I had a handle on Imperial Stouts, my palate was destroyed, and it wasn't even a full 4-5oz taster. So I consider this my first time actually being able to understand and experience this beer properly. Review to come. Cheers!

 

I don't disagree at all that it takes on some American Barleywine characteristics. It is a tad thicker bodied/syrupy, and has that noticeable alcohol, but it definitely drinks more like an IPA fresh. I am always amazed at how I continue to let it age and it continues to not lose any apparent hoppiness. That wonderful oak flavor is always there though

 

More beers from @strohme2! Now up OddSide Scallywagger, a beer I've been very excited to try this since reading the description of a rum barrel aged IPA with pineapple, here we go!
4.03/5 rDev +6.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to strohme2 for this
12 oz bottle, dated 11/16/15, poured into a snifter

A- A hazy/murky reddish orange with a two finger white head

S- Boozy, rum, pineapple, sweet and malty, not many hops, reminds my more of a rum barrel aged Tripel than an IPA.

T- Rum, oak, pineapple, citrus/grapefruit hops, piney finish, slightly earthy, sweet malt backbone. Much more IPA like than the nose suggests.

M- Smooth, medium body, a little chewy.

O- Rum and pineapple are definitely front and center here. Smells really boozy, but taste isn't too boozy. First OddSide beer and this is a tasty one, this is a fun beer I would buy given the chance!

 

Great! Now I have another beer to try....

 

when my grandpa was alive, but before I was born he was a real bad drunk, quit drinking by the time I was born, I remember him drinking zing non-alcohol beer in the early 70"s! yes it existed back then!

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Nice review, still have a 750 from the last BIF thanks to @garymuchow. Definitely will have to open it soon and see how it aged!

 

Trying this Omnipollo Nautilus. Cheers and happy Sunday.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/25314/209899/?ba=cindyjeffsmith#review

 

Back with another beer @Ri0 has reccomended I knock out before much more time passes, and good thing, too. For some reason, I thought this was an Imperial Red Ale, with a substantial malt backbone that could perhaps sit for a bit without too much harm. Turns out it's considered an "IPA":


http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/13014/138735/?ba=woemad#review

Yep, hoppy beer, but it does have a substantial malty backbone. Seemed surprisingly earthy too, for something starting off with a tropical fruit zing to it. My first Surly, and may it not be my last!

 

Back with another new one I picked up earlier today. This is billed as a Belgian-style pale ale brewed with rose hips and grains of paradise, and it clocks in at a very nice, easy 5% ABV. Since I've generally enjoyed Rockingham Brewing's output, I figured this was a safe buy at about $7 a bomber.



Pours a slightly ruddy copper color with an orange-amber tinge if held up to light. Lots of particulate matter floating lazily in the beer, probably evidence of the additional spices used. Head is compact and seems to stay at about a single finger; good retention and lace. Seems a little darker than expected for being billed as a BPA, but I'll go along with it.

Nose is very rustic, spicy and yeasty with an earthy/phenolic component that reminds me a lot of some Ommegang beers I've had (Scythe & Sickle and Hennepin stand out prominently as beers bearing that character), which is funny because I poured this into an Ommegang Game of Thrones-branded glass. I'm getting notes of caramel, fresh-baked rye bread, coriander and even some nutmeg/mace/baking spice in here. Seems pretty jam-packed with interest from the nose alone.

Bearing a rather full palate with lots of spice, clove/phenol and caramel/bready malt notes, this beer is nevertheless definitely on the darker end of a BPA, probably pushing into "Belgian Dark Ale" territory in terms of how it drinks, though only slightly. Very malty, little hop character at all and quite yeasty/dusty. Grains of Paradise bring in a peppery, piquant bite that makes me think "saison" or "spiced wheat beer" as well (due mainly to its association with the infamous Sam Adams Summer Ale) and they work well to add another dimension to the already-burgeoning flavor profile here. I don't really think I'm getting the rose hips here, but that doesn't feel like a big loss as this is overall quite well-rounded already.

Feels and drinks a little bit stronger & fuller-bodied than a 5% beer usually would, but I have a feeling that's a Belgian yeast influence. I assume candi sugar was used here to dry it out (and it is pretty damn dry), which also means the base beer without it was probably barely "tafelbier"/table beer strength. This is a very interesting drink. I don't think I've ever had anything it really reminds me of completely, just bits and pieces of it seem to bring up memories of beers long since consumed. Therefore, I guess it's pretty unique, and I'd say it's pretty good for what it's trying to be. Rockingham continues to impress with solid vision and execution. Safe to say I'll pretty much pick up whatever new bombers I see from them at this point, as I did with this one.

Just finishing up listening to one of my personal favorite turn-of-the-century death metal albums from Belgium. In-Quest have always been really underrated, but their first couple are in the top echelon. Superbly well-written and sometimes very bizarre, both Extrusion: Battlehymns and Operation: Citadel are underground classics in my opinion, and I'm proud to own original copies of both (they're both hard to find as far as I remember)!

 

Good Evening All. This day and weekend is flying by. Thanks @cavedave for warm words of welcome. And for keeping us all on track. We all know the story by now here in the NE. Snow is gone cold is here- for quite sometime it looks like. The Jotul has been fired up and is burning at the perfect temp. Thought I was going to save the rest of my wood but no such luck.
BIF #3 - and my first BIF looks to be quite a treat for all involved. Boxes are outstanding and very generous from what ive seen and I'm grateful for mine provided by @foundersasap. Been through about 5- just couldn't wait and there were some freshies. So I'm saving some heavy hitters for next NBS reveal Sunday. Todays brew is my first from Almanac. very anxious to get this one going so without further adieu ......

Almanac Brewing Dogpatch Sour- Ale brewed with cherries and aged in red wine barrels

Pours a burnt rosey color with a tan head that dissipates quickly and leaves very spotty lacing. Looks very appropriate for the base beer style: Flanders Red

Smell is that wonderful funk of wild yeast, barnyard funk, hay, cherries, oak, red grapes of the cabernet or zinfandel variety? Why? I actually feel like I am getting some light cocoa/chocolate notes on this one. Some dark herbal notes round this out. Super aroma.

Taste follows with sour cherries, sourdough bread, wood/oak. This is tart snappy and vinous. Crisp and some dark berry notes. Long lasting lingering flavor. Highly complex with lots of different flavors to discover. Funkalicious I would say.

Feel is again crisp, clean and dry that doesn't weigh on the palette. Champagne like tiny bubble carb. Medium to light body.

DIG IT! Hopefully I can find more. This one of my favorite styles- wine barrel aged sours. I love the added dimension the wood and wine add and how the aging marries and mellows the flavors on these beers. Perfectly tart and not too sour with just layer upon layer of wonderful things to discover. Almanac fantastic brew and house yeast! I'm looking for ye!

And for New Old Vinyl Sunday I needed some casserole- Tuna in nature and Hot please. For dessert? Candy of course.
Have a great week and as always thanks for taking the time to listen.