New Beer Sunday (week 597)

Still working my way through Stone's beer library after not quite enjoying the Go To IPA last sunday, and finding the Delicious IPA a little lack luster during the week.

This Sunday it was the Ruination 2.0

As one would expect of a Beer from Stone entitled "Ruination" this one has hops out the ass; in the smell, in the taste, in the aftertaste, and really leaves a lasting impression.

Pours a super clear, golden orange, color with a cream colored head that settles down to about a half-finger throughout the experience. Smells of deep pine resin, with a sweetness that is very reminiscent of orange and mango.

I was expecting this one to be super hoppy and bitter, and while the hops bombard the mouth throughout the drink, the bitterness was not as aggressive as I had anticipated. The taste is very similar to the smell, pine resin, tropical fruits and citrus. The malt sweetness found in most double IPAs is not as present in this beer. The bitterness is there of course, but I loved the fact that it did not linger on and on, like in some IPAs. It lasts just long enough to entice a second sip shortly after fading. Mouthfeel was medium, and was very pleasant.

This is one of the best IPAs that I've had from Stone, right behind Enjoy By, and one of the best I've had period.

 

I really need to go back and listen to their older stuff. I mainly know them as the kinda bland hit factory of the 80s.

 

@2beerdogs you need to track this beer down. Wish I coulda shared my bottle with you!

Highland Park Brewery's Lazy Susan:





Fuzzy screwed up pic of the first full pour:



And my thoughts:

4.48/5 rDev +6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

From the bottle (500mL I think) into an oversized tulip.

Pours bright golden and fizzy and has a proper haze to it. Sudsy white head that quickly dissipates. 4.5

Beer's described as a sour wheat and I'm thinking it is a Berliner Weisse, but there's quite a funkiness and saison-like quality to the aroma. Tons of apricot or peach burst from the glass too and they, combined with the earthy, funky yeast, give this that true barnyard feel. I need to find this barnyard next LA visit. Very nice. 4.5

Seems I'm just drinking underripe peach and apricot, because they absolutely dominate this flavor. There's a fuzzy, funkiness to the flavor and feel that is derived from these fruit and it is accentuated/complemented by the medley of yeasts. As I go about searching for other elements to this beer I notice a lemony tartness and a brief injection of malt providing a touch of sweetness and vanilla. 4.5

This guy (or is it a gal?) is a lip-puckerer but it's not of that abrasively sour variety that I don't enjoy. It's instead assertively tart if that's any better a description. There's a healthy body to this and I think the wheat is more of a factor here than anywhere on the flavor, but the beer is still refreshing and easy to sip away at. 4.25

Quite the surprise from Highland Park Brewery. I've enjoyed their IPAs and a coffee beer, but I didn't know they had this in them. This is delicious. Quite the fruity, juicy wild ale.


And some intoxicatingly good music to zone out to:

 

Ive heard that story- and history says its about 50/50 its true. Whether it is or not the band was never the same IMO after that. And even the members say they weren't the same. Guy was a way underrated guitarist/composer.

 

That Malpais export stout was the one from your BIF box that surprised me the most. Now, of course, I'm raising expectations -- but it is delicious.

 

Good evening NBS! First up tonight Mikkeller Beer Geek Flat White, oatmeal stout brewed with coffee and lactose.

3.98/5 rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

11.2 oz bottle poured into a snifter

A- Black with a large mocha head.

S- Roasted coffee, some chocolate, hints of lactose, some caramel malts.

T- Roasted coffee, some lactose, hints of caramel malts, hints of charred wood.

M- Smooth, medium body, carbonation is a little high.

O- Not the best Beer Geek that Mikkeller has done but still a good beer. Worth trying if you have enjoyed others in the series.

Cheers!

 

Youll like their old stuff with Terry. All guitar based and then the horns and stuff blend in perfectly

 

Good evening to all the late comers to NBS. I'm back for a second round this afternoon only because in checking the site I found I hadn't checked in this variant of this beer. I spent the later part of my afternoon getting my Shitake mushrooms started. Dropped a couple of young oaks deep in the yard and cut them to lengths that were manageable to move. Then set to the task of drilling 300 holes in the logs to insert the mushroom spores. I'm hoping I'm not to late to be able to harvest a few mushrooms in the fall.
So on to my second beer for this Sunday Galaxy Dry Hopped Fort Point Pale Ale from Trillium

4.46/5 rDev -2.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

This beer poured a very hazy golden yellow into my tasting snifter. There is a minimal head on top that disappears quickly.
The nose is all fruit mostly tropical with mango, pineapple and grapefruit coming through the strongest.
The taste is mostly the fruit with little or no presence of the malt to be found. Lots of mango and citrus flavors all the way through this beer. Perhaps a little light malt way in the back.
The mouthfeel is creamy smooth with nice carbonation.
Not a lot more can be said about this great Pale Ale from Trillium. So glad to see with the opening of there second brewery there beer is a little easier to get.

I may not make it here next Sunday as we'll be traveling to my daughters in Sarver, PA for the weekend. I'm going to stop in Enola on the way out on Friday and meet up with a few BA's that live in the area. I'll be in the Pittsburg area for the weekend and hopefully will get to meet a couple more BA's there also.

 

Gonna have to disagree on you with that one. I love that brew. Think its well balanced and put together nicely. But if its not what you like in an IPA I can totally understand that. Bottoms Up!

 

KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTY!!

 

Love the beer- Nice review!

 

on to the next... real nice too...

Stillwater Artisinal Ales - Tenacity (Tə' nasədē)


Stillwater Artisinal Ales - Tenacity (Tə' nasədē) Wild Farmhouse India Pale Ale by imbibehour, on Flickr

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Poured from the bottle into a Spiegalu IPA glass. Sure why not!

This could be a record breaker in the lightest looking brew. Nearly crystal clear, but not totally, bright and shiny, with some much ample carbonation rising from the bottom. Bright pale supper pale lemon yellow with a faint green, it's giving me this translucent vibe. Head creation is a shampoo bubble bath rinse. Three fingers and light bubbly retention that pops down easily to a finger and keeping bright bleach white colors. Very neat looking brew.

What's that aroma? Big dry funk notes, hits somewhere between dried mushrooms and simple soft wet soil. A hop angle makes a presence that gets relatively basic and has citrus burried tones it seems, but the yeast is one that shines. There's maybe an accent of bitterness and hop oil which just pushes this into a real nice experience on the nose.

Let's just call this on first sip, the saison IPA that sneaks up on you. Light bodied, more towards a grisette, giving just a hint of possible wheaty chewy character, and is bigger than it seems. Very clean finishing with dry classic saison sensing bretty spice and small peppered warmth. Mid palate transitions to a hint of juiced hop character but ever so briefly. A real wonderful aftertaste that bounce from warm hop juiced fruit, to peppery dry funk and earth as each angle between hop and yeast takes turns, and compliments each other. Excellent mouthfeel with a marriage between light and juice, funk and citrus, each bringing something out different in each other to explore. A wonderful minty clean breath is left to ponder while contemplating.

This is nearly the perfect balance between saison quality and American IPA deliciousness. Great brew!

look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25 | BA Generated Score: 4.25

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I'm back, and I just started on my Surly Pentagram-

and it's from 2014.

Wow- I'm totally digging this beer. If a top tier Flanders Red and a bottle of blackberry brandy had a baby, this would be it. It's got the tart, vinegary quenching briskness of the red, but marries it to the rich, distilled and woody qualities of the brandy.

The nose comes on strong with mature and overripe berries and grapes, but it's the acetic character right behind that keeps them bright and lively. Just underneath is oak, caramel, figs and a slight earthiness, rounding it all out. Deeper into the glass vanilla starts to come into play. The palate is perfectly balanced with just the right amount of vinous sharpness propelling the fruit, but it ends with a very long and gentle caress of toasty wood. What's remarkable is that there are plenty of opportunities for rough edges between these components, but they have been sanded down just enough to allow for smooth transitions between distinct elements. 3/4ths of my way through the first pour some raisin cookies start to come out on the finish, so as strong as it starts, there are even more surprises up its sleeve- gotta love when that happens!

Surly continues to impress me greatly. It's one thing to have a house style built on boldness, but when the beers are also put together with such finesse and precision- that's when you're earning your elite status. Great job (A+, 4.7)

Thanks again, @Josholson666 !

ETA: the second pour has added dried rose petals to the mix, I kid you not. Whoa!

 

I hope you don't mind the interruption. I guess your talking about Terry Kath. I've hear that mention before also. I like basically the first 3 albums with Terry, CTA is my favorite. The dude definitely could play, love the tone.

Cheers!

 

The first 3, to me are the best. To me, they became more popish after that timeframe.

Cheers!

 

Maybe I should give it another try, it came highly recommended by the beer store guy. It wasn't horrible, just different. I'm hooked on Santilli, I really like the way that tastes . Cheers.

 

Dammit! Forgot to give @Ri0 the shout out he was due for hooking me up with my first Tyranena beers! You da Midwest Man!

 

Well, the last one went down awesome. So, time for another one I picked up yesterday in the cities.
Northgate Brewing Stronghold Porter.

You want a latest WOW! beer, this is it, for me. Holy cow! I love the chocolate notes, and I love the smoke on it. Damn! This is a good beer, and I will want more than the 4 pack I got.

 

Hola, NBSers. Today's first submission comes from California.



Bear Republic's Racer 5 was one of my first "WOW!!!" IPA's, and I loved Hop Rod, but beyond those ..... A bit spotty, IMHO. Unfortunately, this leans more toward the latter, again IMHO.

The pour is beautiful, semi-translucent, brilliant orange tones, just gorgeous. The aroma is very malt forward, which surprised me for a beer that is listed as 100+ IBU's. The taste has the toffee malt aromas covered, but the hops do present themselves - lots of citrus and pine, and the feel is positively prickly, which took this out of Barleywine territory into DIPA range. Still, I'm left thinking there was more to be done with this. I wouldn't tell a fellow beer nerd to avoid it, but I also wouldn't tell them to chase a truck.

Rated 4.04.

 

I'd been seeking this one out for a while and despite being in Maryland quite often, it took the hockey tournament trip this past weekend to find it.

Union Brewing Double Duckpin



First off, we've got a nice, hazy orange beer sitting under a very disengaged head-ish thing that at least will leave a little draping lacing.

Nose is all at once sweet, mango, grapefruit and zesty lemon
The only downside to the aroma is thatit leaves nothing to the imagination as far as taste goes. First taste reveals diligent script following (mango, grapefruit, sweet...).


Finish leaves behind a little sweetness, a touch of bitter but most everything fades away pretty quickly in an otherwise normal "wetness" sort of finish in a medium bodied beer.