New Beer Sunday (week 592)

Just wanted to say thank you for this analysis. I think you are spot-on in both your perceptions and descriptions, and you've given succinct words to some things I have thought for a very long time about any number of beers that use NA 2-row in styles like this [and others].

 

I like the name ! Cheers.

 

Thank you . =)

 

I had never really put 2 and 2 together [no pun intended!] in terms of how the use of NA 2-row affects the way the hops are perceived on the palate. Again, I think you are exactly right that something is going on there -- serving to accent the wrong moment/thing.

 

I also think it's this malt structure that will let a fruitier hop onto the pilsner style. So then it would be a pilsner style lager beer.

 

Your best start EVAH, Dave!!! Looking forward to today's beers.

 

Class dismissed.

 

From The Big Lubowski?

 

Happy NBS! I've been sipping on this while catching up on some over-due reading, may or may not do a bit of yard work this afternoon as it's overcast but pleasant in NEOhio. I picked this up a few weeks ago in NY and have been looking forward to opening it.

It appears I like it a bit better than most; 4.31 rDev +3.4%. But this is mighty complex and tasty. I've posted my full review below- I never thought of Maine as an agricultural center but apparently what they do grow is quality. This reminds me I need to schedule a trip to Portland sooner rather than later
750mL bottle dated 3/28/16 poured into a tulip
A: Dark orange with a generous two-finger head that slowly settles (4)
S: Fresh light malts, Belgian yeast, a bit of orange, grass and coriander (4.25)
T: Full of flavor. Malt and Belgian yeast up front with a huge palate of wheat, coriander, black pepper and orange. The finish is long with mostly spices lingering (4.5)
M: Medium-bodied, a touch creamy (4)
O: This is delicious and well-made. Both the quality of the Maine ingredients and the skill of the brewers shine (4.25)
Cheers!

 

Tomorrow is the start of my first full-time job. In lieu of this, my nerves, and the fact I received a trade with all Sixpoint offerings, I'm dedicating (parts) of today to sampling more of Sixpoint's lineup. Here's the first one on the chopping block:

Sixpoint's Jammer.



Look: Jammer pours a crystal clear, you could read through it, yellow with an 8mm white head. The head formation is loose, bubbly, and fizzy. Head retention is so-so, with no lacing left after a sip or gulp.

Aroma: While it lacks in large or commanding notes, there is a subtle layer of coriander, spices, the ocean, and a slight metallic twinge. Very low key, under the radar aroma, but that is to be expected from most any Gose style.

Taste: Sea salt jumps to the forefront, with notes of coriander, spices, and wheat. It doesn't taste overwhelmingly salty by any means. It does finish tart and sour, which may be off putting to some. Overall, the flavor profile is weak and uneventful.

Mouth feel: It does feel a bit abrasive when drank. Otherwise, mouth feel is thin and slippery. It goes down easy besides the minor abrasiveness at the beginning of each sip.

Overall: An easy-going, no frills beer that could be at home on a hot day at the beach or by some sort of open water, but not something to go out of your way to find. All the aroma and flavor notes are subtle, which keep this beer from being a good one for sitting down and analyzing. It does drink quick though.

Scores: 3.75 | 4 | 3.75 | 3.5 | 3.5 | BA Score: 3.74 | rDev: +1.1%

 

Mildly off-topic, but,since the Von Trapp family brews, and since this was the funniest thing I saw this week: http://postgradproblems.com/this-hi...-new-york-times-is-the-most-insufferable-yet/

 

Has it really been several months already since I was on the east coast to visit my two best friends? It would seem so. This morning I finally crack into one of the brews I brought back from my trip to 'that other Washington.'

Also, copious puppy pictures, because I spent last week up on the island visiting the folks ostensibly for fathers day.

If Porter could fly, I don't know that she'd ever touch the ground.


97 Pound Weakling is a wheatwine released by Franklin's, which, if memory serves, had pretty good food as well. I'm not overly familiar with wheatwines, though I find them a compelling style, even if I couldn't tell you why. Maybe it's because I love barleywines and find relatively obscure (relatively) styles/things at least somewhat interesting. Anyway -- irrelevent.



-This is, objectively speaking, an ugly poured beer. It's this murky, muddy opaque rusty/russet coloured solidity. It does have a beautiful head at least, and decent lacing.
-Nose is hard to pin down. It begins definitely sweet though not alarmingly so. The best I could in down was some grape contributions, from across the spectrum (so appropriate for pride!). There's certainly some white wine grapes, but it cuts all the way across to a sweet homage to 'the flavour purple' (to facetiously borrow from Alice Walker) found in popcicles and bubble gum from sea to shining sea. There's much more to it, but the rest is considerably more difficult to pin down. The closest I could come was a flailing grasp for... tamarind? Really?
-Flavour does not betray the promise of the aroma, though it is fuzzier. The core remains that sweet grape-esque. But it becomes quickly diffuse as your attention spins in an ever-arcing spiral from this central conceit. The blurring of the edges brings it through it's grainy truss and buts us up against a stiffiningly bitter shell that takes a sharply vinous quality.
-Finish engulfs you in this last characteristic, and beleaguers your tongue with a protracted essence of this dry acidic bitterness.

I noticed upon submitting my review that none other than our very own @smakawhat was one of the only handful of others to have delved into this beverage deeply enough to write about it on these world wide webs. While we both found some common ground in our experiences with this liquid, we also had slightly divergent final assessments. I also like that his descriptions actually communicate something concrete and allow for a tangible reconstruction in the mind of what this beer is like to drink, as I know myself to rely to heavily on vague sentiments and abstractions of experience. Love seeing the same experience through different viewpoints!


Salish sure loves to just open up and run.

Until next week, when I hope to return once again, may you drink well, and may you drink deep.



Cheers!

 

Good morning NBS crew! Thanks to our host @cavedave on a terrific opening post. It is hot in WI this weekend, 90 and humid. Spent yesterday afternoon at a nice lake beach so the kids could swim and play. A retired gentleman from the UW Madison astronomy college just happened to be there and had a telescope pointed directly at the sun. I have a high interest in astronomy so it was fun to look directly at the sun through his setup, something I have never seen before. To downplay the suspense, it looked like a glowing orange dot.

I'm enjoying a nice bowl of Rainier cherries and I have plenty of new beer to enjoy today, all suitable for the hot weather. Not sure if I will get to all of them and my first is an easy drinker from Lagunitas.

A nice clear orange color with a 2 finger white head. Good retention and some decent lacing on my glass. Aroma is tame with some lighter hoppy notes of pine and juicy citrus. Flavor is muted as expected with the low ABV. I find some citrus and pine along with a grassy flavor. The malt is dialed way back so it is missing the caramel or honey sweetness. Very light and dry with ample carbonation. Good on a hot summer day, but this would be ideal in 12oz and not bomber format. Paid just over $4.

 

I LOVE this picture!

 

Good afternoon NBS and a dual thanks to @cavedave for the start of today, and to @utopiajane for the exemplary
Pilsner write up. Both are great examples of why NBS is so good. We are in full strawberry mode here in the Pioneer Valley, summer on full display. Today I enjoyed some time with Fantome Saison, a wonderfully crafted saison, full in body and quite delish.

Cheers all

Fantôme Saison

Brasserie Fantôme
Saison / Farmhouse Ale / 8.00% ABV

3.85/5 rDev -10.5% | Avg: 4.3
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a 750ml bottle into a modified tulip glass.
A - Deep gold with a slight orange tint colored. A meandering crowd of carbonation rises in support of snow white cap. Lacing is loose knit and traces the experience on the glass.
S - Sweet orange blossom, resting in a pile of fresh grass clippings, that signature green glass kiss on the nose. There is honey, apricot jam, warm biscuit green grape skin and musk melon. Delightful and complex nose.
T - With all that is going on in the nose, the flavors don't stray. Sweet malts start the party, some straw, a bit of chalk, cheese rine funk. The ever so slight tartness is well executed, just enough to keep the palate guessing. Warm melon, and honey blend to challenge that tart element. there is a fruitiness that runs through the entire palate. White peach and apricot are the center of that component. There is so much to enjoy about this.
M - Surprisingly soft water feel, the body is a bit heavy, a high viscosity, likely supports the 8% ABV. A full coating of the palate is instantaneous, slick and then the tart enters and shift gears. That carbonation persuades that sweet tart to move on. The linger is at the back edge of the tongue, just taunting for another sip.
O - A well crafted and cared for offering, I assume this is a relatively recent import, the fresh feel and flavors are on display. Fruity and a bit funky. The offering is a full experience. The ABV is well hidden, in a big body yet delicate saison. So glad to have had the opportunity.

 

Thanks for that link!! I was laughing so hard that tears came out of my eyes!!

Cheers!

 

Did you pick this up in New York or trade? I noticed these guys are now in Albuquerque too.

 

Greetings, fellow NBSers,

Hanging out in the state capitol, where this was a thing yesterday:


No new beer for me today, but it looks like y'alls are bringin' it, as usual. Back with a new beer next week!

 

Your post offers plenty to comment on.

1. Quite elaborate writing you do. Impressive and fun to read.

2. I too am always curious about wheatwines, though I've yet to completely love one.

3. It's always a bid sad to me that a beer can have 50-60-70 ratings and under 5 reviews.

4. The pics of your dog are great. It reminds me of a book I read to my daughter (we read the Spanish version) called "Good Boy, Fergus."