New Beer Sunday (week 583)

Poured into a 13 oz Weyerbacher tulip glass not sure when it was bottled, damn you Rogue. Pours a very attractive ambee, with a 2 finger off white head that leaves behind some patches of lace. 4.5 Smell is coffee, vanilla, slight pine, biscuit, and toffee. Much different than I expected considering what it is, but pleasant. 4

Taste follows really coffee dominates, vanilla, biscuit, toffee, and then in the finish some pine and grapefruit finally show up and it some how works. 4

Mouthfeel is almost medium, with the perfect amount of carbonation, definitely on the dry side, and very drinkable, but drinks larger than 7.5% ABV. 4.5

Overall I really am enjoying this, it is nice to know I can drink an IPA in the morning without feeling guilty. A very nice job here Rogue. 4

 

Well I had hoped to get back with a second post today after my ribs were done and well time has allowed this for the first time in well too many weeks to remember. I'll tease you with my finished ribs with all the right sides coleslaw and corn bread. I won't take credit for the cornbread as my S.O. is a much better baker than me.

So after dinner I chose an Omega Point from Old Hickory Brewing for my dessert.

This beer poured a dark brown almost black color into my snifter glass.
The nose is strong from the BBA but still brings forth the molasses and tobacco that you get from a great Barleywine.
The taste follows the nose lots of bourbon not harsh but very smooth and mellow. I find the molasses and tobacco in the back of the mouth. A nice well rounded Barleywine.
The mouth feel is smooth with a nice thickness that you don't get in all Barleywines.
In all this is a great BA Barleywineand I'd like to thank my friend @PA-Michigander for sharing this great beer with me.

 

Thanks! Good pun too!

 

I've only had one bottle of Trill show up on my doorstep, and it was truly a treat. Enjoy your last glass!

 

You would hardly recognize it now. The Cubs organization has spent millions turning it into a top notch minor league facility. A great experience with a really awesome staff. Check it out, you won't be disappointed!

 

Here's another BIF beer. The gift that keeps on giving. I still have a few more Sunday's worth of NBS BIFs. @garymuchow sent me this and I was really excited as I'd absolutely loved the 30th Anniversary.

Here's his little note on the cap:



A little sun-tinged shot:



And the beer in glass and bottle:



I do apologize as I feel my earlier reviews weren't on the same level of thoughtfulness and depth as those of others, starting with @utopiajane 's lead-off post. I'll chalk that up to post-power-outage-chaos and trying to post while on a family outing. I tried extra hard to capture the nature of this beer, so I hope I've succeeded.

4.02/5 rDev +7.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

12 ounce bottle poured into a mini-snifter.

I'm loving the gooey amber pour this gives, especially as it's unexpected. I loved the 30th Anniversary Ale from Bell's and was expecting this to be a stout like that one, so the color and obviously different beer immediately piqued my interest. In the glass the beer shows a light carbonation and high level of clarity and when held to light the amber develops a rose hue. Only thing I didn't see was the burly head, lace and film I like. 4.75

Smells of tobacco, aged raisins and caramel with a grassy overlay show first. A deep, developed sweetness that has many a layer to it lurks. Booze kind of peaks its head out and then fades. 4

I have a lot to contemplate as I sip this. It's showing some oxidized notes and with them I get earthy notes, floral notes, hints of banana almost, and tobacco and wood. Even a bit of cardboard and nail polish. I don't believe this beer is barrel-aged, but the flavor and nose certainly offer up some suggestions that it is. Where as the front side is caramel and brown sugar sweet, this dissipates into an ester-heavy finish that kind of reminds me of a dunkelweizen with notes of banana, bread and clove. Fascinating and it grows on my rather quickly. 4

A few things about the feel kind of take me aback. First off, it feels a lot thinner than it should given the rich flavors, ABV and style (I'm assuming this is an old ale or English barleywine based on the flavor and aroma). Second, the oxidized notes impart something odd that temporarily interrupts all the awesome flavor and feel. Get around it and this has a sweet creaminess and hints at the full body that these flavors command. As with the flavor, I adapt to them and find myself enjoying this. 3.75

I didn't have this fresh so it's hard to know how this changed over the years. To my thinking though, some of the flavor and aroma that are awesome are clearly the result of age. However, I think it also developed some undesirables that don't ruin the beer but are a slight hindrance.

 

More new beers thanks to @strohme2. Trapisty Peck's Porter, a very well done Porter, quickly went to the top of on porters list, cheers!

4.38/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Big thanks to strohme2 for this
16 oz can poured into a pint glass

A- Black with a three finger mocha head

S- Roasted malts, hints of caramel malts, cocoa, some coffee, some dark fruits, chocolate.

T- Cocoa, dark chocolate, some coffee and roasted malts, some earthy hops, touch of dark fruits.

M- Smooth, a little creamy, medium to full body.

O- A well brewed and tasty porter. Very easy to drink and with how flavorful it is I would have guessed that it's at least 8% ABV!

★480 characters

 

Another fine weekend comes to a close. After taking my girls to the park and mowing the lawn this afternoon, I grilled up some chicken kabobs. Enjoying my final beer of the weekend.

Schells Apricot Vista. It is, you guessed it, bright orange apricot with a brilliant 2 finger white head. Fades quickly without a collar or lacing. Grainy and dry wheat scents hit the nose first and provide an enticing impression. After the initial graininess, there is a bouquet of apricot tartness that mixes in and finishes with a bit of lemon zest. This beer hits the tongue and largely follows the nose. The beginning is light and dry with a good dose of wheat malt flavor. The tartness ramps up with juicy apricots and lemony notes. The feel is light and dry and intermingle with just a touch of oak dryness. The entire time this beer is on the palate it is light in weight and fairly high in carbonation. A very well crafted Berliner with nice notes of apricot. Funny that this one is still sitting on the shelf after a month.

 

I'm excited to try my bottle of this. Your review made me really want to open it now, but since it might be a long time before I get to try it again I will think about something else. Never say never.

Right on. I will have to check that out. I honestly didn't know anything beyond the name before today. Beer is so educational!

 

Greetings, NBS beer nerds. First up today,this deceptively massive DIPA.



I've not had anything from Bear Republic in awhile, but Racer 5 is world-class, IMHO, and I also enjoy Hop Rod, so I decided to give this a try.

Full disclosure - I bought this online from Craft City. I buy stuff I can't get in Minnesota from them (like Modern Times), but I'm careful about heavily hopped beers because I've bumped into "shelf turds" a couple of times. I decided to take a chance with this, and there's no "brewed on/drink by" date, but I think I got ST'd again.

The appearance is spot on, but the aroma and the taste have the buttery thingie going on. There are hops present, but they're not "bright," if that makes sense.

Still, it's very drinkable, but I think the experience would be vastly different if the beer was fresh. Rated 4.02.

 

My third NBS beer of the day is my dessert beer. So in honor of the season 6 premiere for Game of Thrones tonight:



Blaecorn Unidragon

Clown Shoes
Russian Imperial Stout / 12.50% ABV

3.98/5 rDev -1.7% | Avg: 4.05
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Bottled 01/14/16

L-Pours thick and black like oil. A modestly aggressive pour leads to a thick 3 finger mocha head. The lacing is prominent and lasting.
S-Roasted malts are prominent with hints of dark chocolate and char.
T-Initially starts out with a dark chocolate finishing with a lot of char and moderate bitterness. Normally I don't care for the ashy char that I get from non BA stouts. Alcohol is completely hidden. I'm finding this beer quite drinkable given it's size and qualities which I don't normally care for. It says a lot about the balance here.
F-Carbonation is light and the mouthfeel is full. While not quite silky the beer is very smooth.
O- While I don't normally gravitate to this style, I find this to be a very good example. It is balanced enough to be drinkable. The alcohol is only evident in my blood stream as I'm warming much faster than the beer is. Recommended.

 

Was MIA last week and spent today away from Wifi with the Mrs enjoying the beautiful weather, family and of course beer.

So dispensing with the non-beer stuff… let me dive right in with the first NBS of the day.

Beer # 1 Mispillion River Space Otter American Pale Ale

BEER STATS

Reviews 12

Ratings 38

Avg: 4

PDev: 14%


Poured into Tired Hands Snifter, the beer pours sunset orange with a nice lofty white head with lingering lacing. The nose was citrus at first with a hoppy bread like malt settling in. The taste was smooth with a splash of citrus at first and nice pine like hop finish.


Look – 4. 0 Sunset orange in color.
Smell – 4.0 Citrus, malt and hops
Taste – 3.75 Citrus to start with a malty hop finish
Feel – 3.75 Light and refreshing, not heavy and at a 5% abv able to have more than one..lol.

Overall – Good Beer, light and refreshing. Nothing fancy, just pure goodness. My overall rating is a 4.0.

 

Beautiful weekend in the Heart of Dixie, so I've spent most of it outside catching up in the yard and working on the garden.

Wasn't sure I was going to have a new beer today, but remembered there was one last offering from @TongoRad 's BIF box. Looking back, I really enjoyed the journey that Michael set forth for me in the BIF. Thanks for the ride!

This is the Rauchbier from New Paltz brewing. A new beer from a new brewery is always a good thing.

Lightly sweet malts with a pleasant level of smoke, this is a highly drinkable and enjoyable beer! I was surprised by the extreme clarity of the beer. Most smoked beers that I have come across are quite dark and somewhat murky. Not this one, it reminds me more of a dark pilsner in apparence.



http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/43976/210923/

 

Here's my second new beer for today, actually. Horchata as beer, or horchata type beer, or whatever we have here, is new for me... and as far as I can remember a strong dose of cinnamon in my beer was new, too. Wasn't sure what to expect, really, but this has been growing on me, I will be honest.

 

Happy New Beer Sunday folks. The weather just gorgeous in Chicago today, unfortunately I was stuck inside much of the day finishing up a project for work, but I did enjoy this beer and staring forlornly out the window.



Hubbard's Cave IIPA
9.0% ABV
Brewed 03/24/16
Bottled 04/10/16
Fresh by 05/22/16

Hubbard's Cave is the 'clean' offshoot of Une Annee, a local Belgian/sour brewery. They've been releasing a lot of-the-moment beers, including this New England style IPA. May be a little gimmicky, but I like that they print the brewed and bottled on dates on each label.

Pours dark orange, very cloudy with lots of hop haze and (I'm guessing) yeast in suspension. They certainly nailed the NE IPA look. Nose is lovely, bursting with tropical fruit and fresh citrus pith. The taste follows with lots tropical hops (mango, orange, peach), there is a decent punch of underlying malt and alcohol burn in the finish. The mouthfeel is soft, low-medium carbonation and creamy.

All in all this is pretty close to those juice bomb NE IPAs people are spending their days waiting in line for. I had both Julius and Very Hazy this week, and I would say this is 85% of the way there. If Hubbard's Cave could just scale back the malt and booze a little bit there would be no reason to trade...

Alright, back to work so I can catch the Game of Thrones premier (and I have another beer!)

Cheers guys!

 

Beer # 2

Nanticoke Nectar India Pale Ale

BEER STATS

Reviews 23

Ratings 152

Avg: 3.89

PDev: 29.05%


Poured into a hand washed Tired Hands snifter this beer pours nicely into a two finger white head with delicate lacing. The color was a hazy burnt orange. The nose is immediately filled with hints of pine, citrus and hops and the aroma is strong, which is misleading upon tasting. You would expect to be hit by a strong hop/malt presence as the nose first presented but, the balance between citrus, pine, malts and hops is done very well and is very pleasing. Medium body and for an ABV of 7.4% goes down smooth with a tinge of bitterness at the end.


Look – 3.75 Burnt orange in color.
Smell – 3.75 Citrus, Pine, malt and hops
Taste – 4.0 Nice blend of pine, malts, hops and citrus
Feel – 4.0 Medium body 7.4% abv

Overall- 4.0 Good beer, the nose is misleading to the taste but in a good way.

 

Beer # 3


Weyerbacher Sunday Morning Stout


Reviews 317

Ratings 1695

Avg: 4.33

PDev: 17.32%



Poured into a hand washed Tired Hands Snifter, pours dark and syrup like with minimal to no head. The nose is immediately hit with chocolate /coffee and bourbon. The taste is thick and lasting with little to no bite or bitterness. The dark rich flavors meld well together and provide for a great beer drinking experience when sipped and allowed to mellow to room temp. The flavor does intensify as the beers warms. 4


Look – 4.00 Dark, black coffee like color.
Smell – 4.5 Bourbon, coffee, vanilla, malt and dark fruit like, similar to a plum.
Taste – 4.5 Just as you would expect from the nose, rich, dark fruit, hints of vanilla and malt
Feel – 4.5 Full body 11.3% abv

Overall- 4.5 Great beer.

 

#2, I'll be brief. This hits every note you seek in a cream stout: jet black with a couple of fingers of dark tan head, chocolate/coffee aromas, dark chocolate flavors all OVER the place on the taste. Exceptional stuff, IMHO. Rated 4.25.

 

Finally getting a chance to polish off a couple new beers courtesy of @thebeers and his NBS BIF package.

A great, ruby red color on this pour. Solid 1 finger that sticks around. Bright nose, lots of citrus and a doughy smell.
Taste is almost nothing like the nose. Starts out sweet and malty, lemon and oranges and grapefruit, finishes with a touch of biscuit. Finishes dry. Really a unique beer. A solid drinker too.

 

Tree House "Hustle" an American Robust Porter.
Head disappears in a few minutes to a ring.
Nose of smoked malt, chocolate malt, bitter chocolate.
Tastes of bitter chocolate and unsweetened chocolate, slight vanilla.
Sort of nice, almost creamy, mouthfeel (half and half?)
I like this porter, but it pales in comparison to HF Everett.