New Beer Sunday (week 585)

Good start @utopiajane. Happy Mother's day to you and all the other mothers out there! I've gotta work today, but hopefully I'll make it back a little later on.

 

Happy Mother's Day!
To my mother, for raising me right.
To my wife, who raised an amazing kid on her own.
To my sister, who raised three beautiful, strong women.
To my daughter, a single mother raising two special needs boys and doing an exemplary job.

This new beer is from Allagash, probably my favorite Maine brewery, called Sixteen Counties. It is made to "honor the rich tradition of farming in the sixteen counties of Maine."
It pours a pretty gold color with a hint of haze. It has a small white head.
A nice outdoorsy aroma: flowers, grass, wheat. There is a bit of citrus.
Herbal taste up front, followed by lemon and grapefruit.
Crisp and dry mouthfeel.
A nice beer.

I hope this is a great day for everyone, especially you mothers.

 

Happy Mother's Day!
I look forward to reading your greetings and reviews every Sunday. Today is no exception.
Have a wonderful Day. May you enjoy another beer or two.

 

5.3% alcohol. 27 IBU. Brewed in Colorado.

4.21/5 rDev +13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Sawtooth Ale has a medium, frothy, off-white head, a clear, bubbly, amber appearance, and spider-web lacing left behind. The aroma is of very subtle lemon, bread crust, and generalized malt, and the flavor is of those elements, with a mellow back-end bitterness. Mouthfeel is light to medium, and Sawtooth Ale finishes dry and exceedingly drinkable.

RJT

 

Good morning and Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! Surprised I haven't had this stout yet - Stone's 'Americano Stout':



A) Good looking jet black (40) pour with tan head; pretty decent cap retention with clarity under cap; moderately heavy lacing. 4.25

S) Roasted coffee beans. 4.0

T) Roasted coffee beans and toffee; there is a not so subtle bitter hoppiness happening here as well. 4.25

M) Moderate plus carbonation; medium lite, dry mouthfeel; ever so slight resinous tongue coating. 4.0

O) Overall a pleasant and interesting spin on a coffee stout as there is a bitter linger from both the roast bean as well as the hops. No perceived alcohol from the 8.7%. Another winner from Stone. 4.25

Cheers, and have a great Mother's Day!

 

About time @utopiajane just kidding happy Mother's day to one of the finest BA'S around. So thanks to @Mcballz13 for this. Poured into a 16 oz Flying Dog glass canned on 2/8/16. Pours a beautiful slick nearly pitch black with a 2 inch tan head that leaves behind little lace as it takes its sweet time settling into a thick film of tan bubbles. 4. Smell is dry roasty coffee, vanilla, biscuit, cocoa nibs, and toffee. 4.25 Taste follows a dry hit of expresso, vanilla, cocoa nibs, biscuity grains, kahlua, and toffee. 4.25

Mouthfeel is less than medium, but very creamy, very little carbonation as it should be, dry as a bone, and amazing drinkability. 4.25

Overall a very nice example of this style, excellent beer. 4.25

 

Good morning New BSers! Thank you, Maria, for your usual excellent beginnings to this thread, and Happy Mothers Day to all you mothers, wives, daughters, and sisters out there, no matter what your gender identification. Well, it's a sunny morning here in NW PA so far, starting to look like I'll have to trim some trees today, something I've been putting off for awhile.

Today's new beer is one of the last from @superspak for NBS BIF #3:



As this beer warms up (60 degrees and rising) while I type, it becomes smoother and smoother - I can see this being deceptively sessionable until it rabbit punches you like justice in a dark alley. Damn nice!

Received from @superspak for NBS BIF #3
Mfg 01.27.16 at 42 degrees into a hand washed and dried JK snifter, allowed to warm to 50 degrees
Aroma of roasted malt, bitter chocolate
Head small (< one cm, aggressive pour), light brown, creamy with rocks, rapidly diminishing to two mm ring and rocky partial layer
Lacing - none
Body dark brown/black, opaque, effervescent
Flavor begins with bitter roasted malt that melds into a slightly sweeter chocolate flavor. No hops, no alcohol, no diacetyl
Palate full, creamy, soft carbonation.

Appearance 3.75, Aroma 4, Flavor 4, Palate 4, Overall 4. Rating 3.99, Avg 3.94, rDev +1.3%

 

I've noticed some coffee stouts being featured here on the Sunday thread so thought I'd give them a go.

Oskar Blues Hotbox Coffee Porter


Black as sin, dark as a moonless night, aroma of roasted malt and coffee, little hop presence.

Taste is dark roasted malt and coffee. Again, little hop presence though I don't know if more hops would be an improvement, probably not. Caramel notes overlaid by the heavier flavors, it all blends together rather well, of course flavored beers should showcase their flavoring agents. Finish is fairly short with some lingering coffee and roast bitterness noted.

I like my coffee hot and my beer cold, so combinations like this are a bit incongruous to me. These beers are popular though so I thought I'd give a few of them a shot. This one tastes like what the label promises and that cannot be said of every beer out there.

 

Do you like fruit used in brewing?

First, permit me to start off with a story.

Last Sunday I attended the 9th Annual Philadelphia Real Ale Invitational which occurred at Yards Brewing Company. I have attended most of these beer festivals (I would guess 7 of them) and this was the biggest event so far with 67 different beers available in Firkens (gravity pours). Needless to say but there is no way I could drink samples of all of these beers!! My personal strategy is to go for the traditional beers first and then enjoy some of the non-traditional beers (beers you don’t normally associate with being served on cask).

Some of the traditional beers they had going that I enjoyed: Wells & Young Eagle IPA, Greene King IPA, Ruddles County IPA, Tributary ESB, Saint Benjamin Foul Weather Jack English Mild, Sly Fox Chester County Bitter, Yards Brawler, …. The first three beers in this list were what I would classify as Bitter Ales despite the IPA label.

There were a large number of beer styles that you would not normally associate with beers served via cask: Triple IPAs, Sours, West Coast style IPAs,…

What I found to be so remarkable about this year’s event was the number of beers with ‘stuff’ in it: fruits of varying kinds, spices, etc.

Some examples of the beers that were fruited:

· Weyerbacher Last Chance IPA w/ passion fruit (all I tasted in this beer was the passion fruit)

· Yards Philadelphia Pale Ale with Grapefruit (I did not taste this beer)

· Stoudts Double IPA with Orange (I did not taste this beer)

· Round Guys Kiss Off IPA with Grapefruit (I thought this beer was OK)

· Rock Bottom Sub Zero IPA with Tangerine zest (I did not taste this beer)

· Liquid Hero Irregardless IPA with Mango (I did not taste this beer)

· Heavy Seas Cross Bones IPA with Orange Peel (I did not taste this beer)

· Free Will Sour Pale Ale with Passion Fruit (I did not taste this beer)

· Etc.

So, is adding fruit to beer the next BIG THING for the Craft Breweries?

For today’s New Beer Sunday my beer of choice is Sam Adams Rebel Grapefruit IPA.

A short description from the Sam Adams website:

“Samuel Adams Rebel Grapefruit IPA is the newest addition to the Rebel family of IPAs, which are brewed to showcase a wide range of hop intensities and characteristics. Rebel Grapefruit is brewed with real grapefruit for a big punch of citrus that amplifies the tropical fruit and citrus notes of one of the Sam Adams brewers’ favorite West Coast hops, Mosaic.”

Served in my Spiegelau IPA glass:

Appearance:

Pours a golden/amber color with an orange hue. A two finger white head.

Aroma:

The predominant aroma is a general citrus aroma but there is some grapefruit smell that peaks.

Taste:

The flavor follows the nose with citrus/bitter grapefruit flavors. There is just enough malt to provide some balance/

Mouthfeel:

Medium bodied with a dry finish.

Overall:

A pleasant IPA! I enjoyed drinking this beer.

The one feature of this beer that stands out (not surprisingly) is the grapefruit quality. This quality may not suit everybody but I liked it!!

Cheers!

P.S. If anybody cares my favorite beer at the Real Ale event was Carton Eden Saison with grains of paradise and jasmine. That beer was AWESOME!!

@augiecarton @RobH

 

Happy Mother's Day @utopiajane and All the Bringers of Life out there!!! I have always admired the subtle, understated, and too often unrecognized strength and noble dignity of mothers. From my glorious grandmother to my sister, and finally to my amazing wife. And as a teacher, I have seen some of the most resilient human beings in the world sitting before me at parent conferences sharing humbly about how they have kept their family going through some of the most daunting situations. Mind you, approximately 98% of these people have been mothers, grandmothers, and aunts. I often say, if it wasn't for the strength and perseverance of the "weaker sex" human beings would have been extinct millennia ago.

Say a prayer, raise a glass, cook a beautiful meal, SHOW the mothers out there the love, respect, and admiration they deserve.

 

Greetings friends,
It's a gorgeous Carolina morning following a spell of crazy wet cool. We had the kids and grandkids over last night for a duel birthday and Mother's Day celebration. Two mamas, my wife and daughter, and my b-day 5/5. We had a great time and I cherish these gatherings more every year....
Happy Mother's Day to all moms out there, and have a pleasant and careful Sunday. RCG

 

Happy Mothers Day.



first off. Thanks to @papat444, finally got around to opening this.

a whole lot going on with this one. not really sure how to pin it down. eyes closed i'd guess a Saison. for me thus far it's been sorta' back & forth. some sips, the oak & wine seem heavier and slightly out-front. others it's neatly in the background. many different aromas, some citrus, herbs & spices. definitely both in profile & aroma the Pinot influence is present. very soft funk in there too.

probably wasn't the best play to crack it open this early. seems like this would definitely be something to sip while snacking. i'm digging it tho' and would definitely recommend it.

 

I liked the Sam Grapefruit IPA as well, but recall thinking that, compared to other grapefruit beers like the standard Ballast Point, it seemed a little more soda-like. I don't mean sweet, and I actually found it a little more refreshing than others (though my girlfriend disagrees).

I hope the mothers won . Sounds like good times. Happy Mother's Day to all mothers (he said hoping they read NBS )

 

It's a rainy, mild day here in Kansas with occasional thunder rumbling ... Perfectly nice lazy morning for a new beer

New Weissbier Sunday

Urban Chestnut Schnickelfritz Bavarian-Style Weissbier Ale
4.8% ABV

Poured into my .5L Hacker-Pschorr mug

Look: Cloudy straw yellow body with a foamy white head that eventually recedes to a soapy film. Random and minimal spots and patches of lacing stick to the glass.

Aroma: Bready and spicy yeast aromas with clove and a delicious banana note on the end with some addition sweetness.

Taste: Much like the aroma, the beer starts out somewhat spicy then suddenly a tanginess hits the palate. Yeast brings out clove and nutmeg notes with subtle banana in the finish. There is a tangy aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, creamy.

Overall: Certainly no Weihenstephaner but I think it represents the style well. Rated 3.96.

I'm liking Urban Chestnut so far. They package their beer in 4-packs of 500ML bottles at around $10.00.

 

Good morning NBS, and happy Mothers Day to all BA moms!
For the longest time I avoided this thread on the one weekend a month I have to work (always evenings on the weekends) but realized with the plethora of session IPAs hitting the market I can safely drink one before heading in allowing me to continue to contribute here!

This week I'm trying one of the new creations from Great Lakes which I'm fortunate to say is practically just down the street. Like many sIPAs this is fairly light-bodied but packs plenty of hop punch. It's a single hop IPA and I do appreciate beers that focus on one hop to learn to appreciate its characteristics. In this case it's Mosaic and it shows orange peel. Lots and lots of it along with a bit of orange juice and a bit of pepper. The most interesting thing with this beer was the head- tons of carbonation if it comes through in the picture... it started off at one finger after I was done pouring but after about two minutes had blown up the head until it reached the top of the glass before starting to settle. Usually it blows up as you pour it but not this time. The only slight downside to this beer as is often the case with sIPAs is the light body. Still tons of flavor and 3.83/5 overall.
I hope most of you enjoy the the beautiful weather that's forecast for most of the country. I'll be slaving away this afternoon but will be doing the same (along with drinking the rest of this GLBC Fridge Filler) tomorrow. Cheers!

 

Hey what's going on!?

I'll tell you what... IT's FINALLY NOT RAINING ... oh man feels good today.

So I was outside in the sun (what is that yellow thing I haven't seen it in nearly 2 weeks at all, what is this Seattle?) that I was out in the garden helping our mother.. Mother Earth that is... I went and finally got my peppers in the ground so I am crossing my fingers on that.

Heading out the market but after a bit of digging and weeding and finally getting that lawn mowed (it was HUGE) I am ready for a brew...

Easy steps... so what's off first!

Oatsmobile Ale | Bell's Brewery, Inc.


Bell's Brewery - Oatsmobile Pale Ale by imbibehour, on Flickr

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Poured from the bottle into a nonic pint glass.

Muted copper orange and a bit hazy for the body color, but with some nice amount of pinhead clear bubbled carbonation rising up. Head creation is a bit fleeting, maybe barely reaching two fingers, a bit soapy with light retention and a simple white color. Pinhead bubbles in the head makeup, and settles to a straight-forward half finger.

Berry like ester possibly or maybe a berried like fruit from the hop angle, comes out slightly spiced as well. Hints a bit of cream but also some bile sourness hanging in the back. Heads towards red berried and creamy sensing slightly. Sort of reminds me more English styled in origin on the nose.

Taste is pretty much all American it seems. Pine astringency seems to dominate though with lots of high acid bitterness that's a bit hot. A nice bit of body that has just a little bit more than your average wet session beer. Some light biscuit and more toasty notes in the finish which manage a bit of faint apricot flavor but it's a bit fleeting.

A pretty decent session ale.

look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75 | BA Generated Score: 3.75

------------------------

Oh by the way @JackHorzempa I have to agree on the fruit thing it's getting a bit too dominant in the brews and taking away much of the "beer character" of late. I had a brewer through in Mango powder and Habaneros in a firkin and all it was a plate of fire.

Oh you're CAP by the way had one of the most amazing eggshell white whipped up foam heads I've ever seen... pretty impressive.

on to next beer, but have to head out in a bit.

 

Cheers, NBS players!

Haven't been hitting many new beers on Sunday recently and today is no exception ...? but I'm here anyway , drinking what was a technically a new beer yesterday...

So figured I'd play a little catch-up; give a couple of shout-outs to a few new beers, including the one I'm drinking now...

Maniacal IPA DIPA from Port City Brewing in Virginia. Solid entry into the style, bringing a dark tropical fruit element to the aromas and sugars of the brew. The bitterness has a shellacking effect, wrapping the tongue loosely in an orangey coat, edged with resinous pine suggestions. Body is medium, solidly so, and there is a bit of tack on the finish. I found the beer paced itself moderately - lean enough to finish before it warms to room temp, but full enough to slow down the sips. Vague coating lingered, leaving dark citric bitterness on the tongue. Not to my personal cravings these days, but certainly enjoyable and recommendable.

Yesterday, in addition to my first Maniacal, I enjoyed Flying Dog's latest single hop DIPA, featuring Ella hops...


Ella was right up my alley.

Predictably, stone fruits like plums and peaches, were suggested on both the nose and tongue. But the beer brought a quenching bitterness that pulled all the sugars in line and presented a relatively taut drinking experience, without losing any of the malt body base. The bitterness was more deliberate than the Maniacal, and the fruit impressions were paler and less fleshy. To my tastes these days, it was the winner.

The other beer I've gotta mention to any who haven't had it, is Sumatra Mountain Brown from Founders.

This is a new release from Founders; got limited distribution around here. One store I shop has had it in stock for the past couple of weeks or so; others stores either never saw it or it came and went (like, they got a single case).

I'm not into American brown-type ales - I've really enjoyed the ones you'd expect, like Hazelnut Brown from Rogue or Indian Brown from DFH, and a few rares and such, but I'm not usually drawn to the flavor profile. I do like imperial-type beers and I do like coffee and I do like Founders, so I grabbed this when I spotted it.

Completely floored.

Big. Brown. Coffee. Beer.

Really profound drinking experience - way more to my tastes than their Frangelic Mountain Brown...

The malts are a perfect complement to the rich coffee flavors and molasses and brown sugar sweetnesses.
Full-bodied and smooth. I've had it at every temperature from refrigerator to room temp, and out of a few different glasses, as well as right out of the bottle. One of those few beers that I just kept buying every time I saw it.
I know my luck (a.k.a., the local supply ) will run out soon, but it has been a great ride.

Got another lined up for tonight, my Game of Thrones beer...

That's it right there in the middle. Evil Twin's Liquid Double Fudge. A 12% abv imperial stout, expected to be big on fudgy chocolaty flavors and feel. Oddly priced at $6.99

Cheers - hope y'all are enjoying your new beers today - and happy mothers day to you moms out there!

 

Happy Mother's Day!

My new beer today is SONGBIRD, from Tallgrass, a "petite" saison with a 4.8 ABV.

Poured from a 16oz can into a teku, this ale is golden yellow with two fingers of white head. Hazy at first, but becomes clear as the beer warms and settles.

The nose is a fruity Belgian yeast. Taste is a little citrus, orange/lemon tang and some Belgian yeast, but nothing too strong. Just a hint of funk before a dry finish. A bitt of pepper or spice in the aftertaste. Mouthfeel light and refreshing.
Not a powerhouse, but a tasty and refreshing farmhouse ale for a hot day. Songbird!

My mother loved songbirds. Here's to you, mom. Cheers!

 

Happy NBS on a gorgeous and sunny Mother's Day (in WI at least). I've had only a couple of NE style IPAs and was very surprised on Friday when a box mysteriously showed up on my porch from Vermont. A stealth move by a couple of BAs helped me find a box that was sent by @jhavs and loaded with NE IPA goodness. Needless to say I was overjoyed and will have a hop heavy week of beer.

My first target is a great one, Alter Ego, a beer using two of my favorite hops, Mosaic and Amarillo. Yes! Canned on 4/5/16. Pours very hazy dirty orange with a massive dirty white 3 finger head. Aroma is loads of juicy citrus, grapefruit, lime, and tangerine. Flavor is bursting with juicy citrus notes of sweet tangerine, clementine, and tart grapefruit, lime. The hops don't leave much for the malt, but it is there in the background. Feel is very nice, smooth and oily, excellent carbonation. This is the real deal for juicy IPAs.