New Beer Sunday (week 582)

I've been reading the NBS weekly thread for a few months now and decided tonight was a great time to get involved for my first time.

Today, my wife picked up a few growlers from one of our local beer shops, one of which being Vengeful Heart by Kane Brewing. It was a beautiful night here in Northern NJ, and I took full advantage by sitting outside while grilling dinner for the family.

Vengeful Heart- Kane Brewing
4.44/5 rDev +4.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5



The beer poured a beautiful dark brown color, and I was drawn immediately to the hoppy aroma that hit my nose as I was filling my glass. I got about two fingers of foamy head, which is probably due to how sloppily I dumped it in my glass out of the excitement I had for getting a taste of this brew (my wife, on the other hand, got a perfect pour!).

This was an extremely drinkable barleywine, and the booze was very well hidden. A great combination of hop and malt flavors made this extremely enjoyable. Could have gotten in real trouble with this one if I finished the whole 32 oz growler by myself!

Cheers!

 

Very nice head goes away in a couple minutes, nose of tropical fruit, taste follows with a little pine, nice feel, very well balanced.
Very nice!
I like this better than Pure Hoppiness.

 

New Beer Sunday: Imperial Red Ale

Evenin' NBSers with a nod to our Host tonight, @cavedave, and special non-alliterative greetings to fans of Amber/Red Ales.

Well the weather here today was as close to a perfect spring day as one could ask, definitely a 10 out of 10. Naturally, that meant running errands and taking care of outdoor items from the "honey-do" list (I know, I know, being outoors on a day like this is a sacrifice, but one I was willing to make. ) so I didn't get to peek in very often today but looking at some beers shared so far, once again there are new beers being added to my "try-it-if-you-have-a-chance" list.

This evening's new beer is an Imperial Red Ale from a small PA brewery that I've only recently learned about by buying this beer. I wasn't sure what to expect with it since it is called Patrick's Poison and it comes from the Rivertowne brewery on the otherside of the state near Pittsburgh and I've not had a chance to spend any "tourist time" in "Da Burgh" in several years since the most recent visits were short, focused, and mostly for business. (That's not to say I didn't have a chance to visit at least a one or two places, and check out some of the local beers, one must have priorities. )

As usual my review, subject to revision until I finish the beer, is to be found here:

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30791/117311/?ba=drtth#review

Basically this beer is very different from Nugget Nectar, also an "Imperial" Amber/Red Ale, since the hops show off in a quite different way. There's some nice sweet brown sugar and other flavors from the malt, and the hops provide both some bitterness and a lot of earthy, grassy character to balance out the malt flavors. So nothing is ever in full charge of the flavor profile and nothing is totally in the background. An interesting beer that I'll be looking for more of.

In keeping with the notion of an Imperial beer, the music on the player tonight is by Richard Strauss (not the waltz king Strauss ). I supect a few who've seen Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" will recognize at least some of this music.

Also sprach Zarathustra

Cheers, all!

 

Well , according to the brewery's product description this beer is floral on the nose, and whaddaya know, it is! Along with some orange citrus on the palate this is a winner! Good feel makes this certainly not a "one and done."
Cheers!

 

It's kind of like the old Whitbread Ale, with the sweet dried fruits dialed up a bit. Very interesting to see what some Americans were drinking back in the 30s, too- pretty nice stuff, overall.

 

I'm glad you enjoyed the Greenbush beers. Most are pretty solid and the barrel aged program flies under the radar around here which is rare. Hit me up if you ever decide to go there, I'm located just around the lake and visit quite regularly. The food, especially the BBQ kicks ass, lunch is on me!

 

How's it going everybody? I've been a little M.I.A. on NBS and on BeerAdvocate in general recently, as I've been studying for an exam the past few months. It's been stressful but I'm happy to say it's all over with and I'm excited to get back into the swing of things here! Just in time too as the weather has been beautiful this weekend.

My new beer for today was from River Horse Brewing in NJ. It's their Czech-style Pils called Roly Poly Pils. No freshness date on it, but this is my first time seeing it in my area so I'm going to assume it's a fairly new release.



Gold in color - more deep than light - and very clear with a thick, creamy, white head that shows excellent retention. Bready malt and herbal hops in the aroma. Real nice balance between the two in the flavor as well, with a light spice at the end. Strong bitterness but not harsh at all. At first it seemed under-attenuated to me and I thought it was flawed, until I realized I was comparing it to a German-style pils, which this is very different from. It has a fuller body and stronger malt presence than its German counterpart. Overall, a really nice example of an undervalued style. River Horse did a great job with this one!

 

No clue, but the couple IPA's I've had from them seem to share the same light citrus/lemon zest profile. They're very pleasing in taste and super drinkable for the abv. A very unique flavor profile and unlike any IPA's I've had. I'm a fan of Singlecut!

 

Drinking yet another Minnesota beer from @garymuchow , Schell's Doppel Bock:



3.69/5 rDev -0.3%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 ounce bottle into a nonic pint.

I love the way this beer looks. Deep copper color mixes with medium brown. The head is as creamy and persistent as a milkshake. Looks like a meal.

I make a great deal of effort to get at the aroma here and find that it isn't popping at me. It's pretty light and hints at dark bread, sweet malt and floral yeast. The malt has a quality that reminds me of a helles or pilsner.

Been a while since I've had a doppelbock but this does feel lighter in body and flavor than what I would expect. But what's there is a good presentation of sweet dark bread and sweet malt. A grassy and mildly spicy hop again recalls a pilsner for me. Interesting.

Overall, this is smooth and drinkable, if perhaps lacking the creamy, richness I wanted.

 

Greetings All from the great Northwest where the weather is nothing short of spectacular.

After some arduous mowing and weed control we have Breakbeat IPA from Elysian.
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/700/186173/

A very good IPA indeed. Bit of a dust up around Elysian last year when they sold out to one of the BIG macro-brewing companies, but no ill effects can be seen in this one.

Until next time

Happy Trails!

 

Good evening NBS, hope everyone is enjoying the end of the weekend once again. Thanks to @cavedave for getting us started off this week. Just another regular work week ahead for me, I did make a nice new beer haul yesterday afternoon to keep me stocked for a couple weeks. My 4200th beer should be later this week. Here are today new beers:

Very nice dry hopped saison. Aromas and flavors of grapefruit, tangerine, lemon zest, orange peel, pineapple, pear, peppercorn, and light pine; with some very light cracker/bready malt; with herbal/floral/grassy hop and yeast earthiness. Very spicy yeast finish, with light herbal/grassy bitterness. Light-medium body; very smooth/crisp/dry with light hop stickiness and grainy malt character in the mouthfeel. 5.5%, very refreshing stuff! This had a lot of really nice citrusy hop character going on, with well balanced yeast esters; and obviously just pils malt base, because there was barely anything there in regards to malt presence. Very well done! 3.9


This was pretty interesting. Pretty good. A blonde ale brewed with "Mint leaves, honeysuckle, and bourbon". Aromas and flavors of big mint, lemon, lime, berry, pear, pepper, honey, cracker, wood, herbal, floral, grass, light bourbon, and yeast earthiness. Light-moderate herbal/spicy bitterness and lightly tart/tangy on the finish. Light-medium body; very smooth/crisp/dry with light stickiness and grainy malt character in the mouthfeel. Very drinkable, 6%. Fairly refreshing. Well balanced between the yeast, honeysuckle, mint, and pale malt. This is not a bad beer by any means, but it just comes off as pretty weird. Fits a blonde ale style just fine all said and done; but the mint/honeysuckle really throw in some interesting characteristics to the flavor. Apparently this is a cocktail recreation, but you really don't get much bourbon flavor. I enjoyed this for sure, though. 3.58


The 20th, and final NBS BIF #3 beer from @tasterschoice62. Very nice Russian imperial stout. Aromas and flavors of big dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, molasses, leather, tobacco, herbal, wood, licorice, raisin, prune, and light peat smoke. Light herbal/spicy hop and roast bitterness; with a very creamy/silky full-ish body; with very minimal roasted malt sticky/chalky notes. Very smooth with minimal warming ABV. Highly complex and full of unique character. Quite a lot of yeast characteristics, but from the English style standpoint, completely acceptable. Still very heavy on the malt presence. Very delicious stuff! 3.9


Cheers, have a good night NBS.

 

Did you account for the fact that the bomber you had was probably a few months old, at this point? When I had it fresh, in early January, it possessed all the characteristics of an IIPA, and an excellent one. But now, in mid-April, I'm not surprised you found it to be something different.

 

Sorry my fine BAs. I said I would do a review, but I had a fun tasting with my Dad. But, hey, some things are more important than beer. Had a great day. I hope you all had a great Sunday. Cheers!

 

Prayers for your Pops.

 

Uh, ISO, Bro.

 

Happy late nght, NBS! It was a beautiful day here in the kingdom. The wind finally died down and the sunshine really took over maki g for a pleasant day. Did some light gardening, getting kale and some herbs in the planters. Was unhappy with some seeds I sprouted inside that sorta bolted, so they became shriveled microgreens and I planted new seeds. Late, but we see how they do. we decided to leave the confines of the compound to our favorite ice cream shop. It is on a farm, a bit off the beaten path, but apparently the word is out...completely mobbed. They rause the cows, and the ice cream is as local as it gets, whole milk, real deal stuff. They also make a cranberry ice cream with chocolate and almonds. First time ai had it, it was curiosity. Cranberries and dairy...a mystifying combination. But this absolutely works....enough tart edge from the fruit to prevent the sweetness behaving itself. Love the stuff!

Enough of had it before ice cream Sunday... What is in the glass, you ask? Well, the shelf cleaning continues. I have Weyerbacher Tarte Noveau in the pint, best by date was last November. It is billed as a session wild ale, according to the bottle...and yeah, that is what it is. Deep golden color, a burst of ginger ale like bubbles, then pretty much nothing. Pretty typical saison-like aroma, a very faint funk, a bit cidery, some grapish notes, lacto type sour. It is pleasant enough. The taste is initially tart, but not tongue numbing sour. A bit of vinegar tingle. Grape notes, and a lot of wheat in the aftertaste. The carbonation is present despite the appearance of a flat beer, and the finish is quite drying.

It is an OK beer that I am feeling 3.2-ish about. I dont think it is particularly true to the wild ale style. By what I gather it is a kettle sour and I dont think it is wild fermented. Refreshing enough, definitely light. It is what it is...a low alcohol, mildly sour beer that drinks easy and is refreshing like a lemonade refreshes. I would drink it again, but not something I have to have.

Cheers, and thanks to our host @cavedave for the kickoff. Noticed some new faces today - welcome aboard. I will read thru everything later, but it looks from the rapid scan like it is outstanding work today as usual! @cjgiant - mad props for Benefit vinyl, man!

I am watching Demolition Man and for the life of me I dont know why I like this movie. The Oldsmobile...I dig that. Snipes is a hilarious hoodlum, and there is the always scintillating dialogue from Sly... I do appreciate this rant ( and the we use weapons to shop for groceries line)...

 

Back with one more today. I decided to go with a nightcap. I think this Michigan Wee Heavy from @Ri0 fits the bill rather well.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1199/35036/?ba=woemad#review

This surges to the top ranks of wee heavies I've had. The only flaw I can think of is that the bourbon heat is a little too up front. Maybe a year or two laydown might make this even better. Something to tantalize myself with, as I dream of a day when Founders distributes to the PNW.

 

It's getting late but I am back in the NBS groove. Another bottle that is from @BigRedDog As part of NBS BIF
Perrin No Rules Vietnamese porter

Here is my review:
4.54/5 rDev +0.9%look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Deep dark brown with a small mocha colored head. Not much lacing S: Boozy and sugary. Hints or burnt caramel T: Very sweet but the oak and bourbon cut the sweetness. Hints of coconut vanilla caramel. Roasty and chocolatey MF: Sticky sweet and warming. Slightly boozy O: This is a beer that I shouldn't like but I love it. Simply dessert at 15%

Billy Gibbons:

 

FWIW, when I was approaching the K mark, was the only time I thought about the round numbers. I happened to mention to a friend, that I was approaching a "milestone",and he asked what was I gonna have for it. I dunno, whatcha think? He's all, whatcha gots? We start kicking things around, and it turns out, one of us had Brooklyn Brewing Local #1, and the other had Local #2. Local 1 was the first we shared, Local 2 was #1001 for me. Short version, it's internet nonsense, drink the beers, let the numbers roll where they roll