New Beer Sunday (week 593)

@cavedave, thanks for this review. About 3 months ago, New Belgium started distributing in New Jersey and made a huge splash. Suddenly, many bottle shop, including some of my favorites, had big posters in their windows and New Belgium beers in the front of the store. I thought I was the only one who thought this was overblown and the beers were mediocre at best. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who thinks this. I was beginning to wonder what I'm missing!

 

New Saison Sunday

To Øl Peardon My French - My great local ale-house is trying out some new glassware today, so...
This is a unique, sweet, oaky saison with peach, pear and wine notes. -It's pretty and sticky.

 

It may be in the low 3's but the good thing is you're enjoying it! The Mets poured it on. I wish I had something to root for in the Yankees! At least there's good beer!

 

http://www.rocklandboulders.com/

I didn't see a "shop" section on the site, but I'd probably be in for a hat or t-shirt. However, it couldn't be as awesome as my Montgomery Biscuits hat. This is different than the one I have (solid yellow, with a blue brim), but it's still the awesomest hat ever: http://biscuits.what-if.com/ne-performance-block-hat-p-1113.html

 

Thanks. All AOK. My son and I work in tandem on the reviews and I take "real" "professional" tastes to verify. I have missed these reviews quite a bit!

 

When I was growing up in Parsippany NJ in the '60's and '70's, there was a night club called "Joint in the Woods." It was a bit of a local scandal but they booked a lot of good acts, including a young Bruce Springsteen. Your beer kindled some cool memories for me!

 

Happy 4th and thanks Maria for the kickoff and always educational review!

Kuhnhenn Bourbon Barrel Fourth Dimentia
13.5 ABV, Old Ale, cellared for 9 months before release per Kuhnhenn
Pours nice deep amber with a difficult to get head that's disappears almost immediately, smells of nice sweet fruits of plum raisin apricot, taste follows in carbon copy, the fruit is a bit cloying and I find almost no carmel or smokey backup. The bourbon is nearly nonexistent which is disappointing after all isn't this why we seek BA beers. Overall pretty decent but left me wondering, where's the bourbon?

 

No need, it's yours. I'll be in touch.

 

Oh, there will be beer. Maybe even seat cushions.

 

Man, I looked at a bottle of RuinTen today and didn't buy it. Now, I think I'll have to. I spent a lot of time in Maine when I was young. It's a huge state by east coast standards. Still, 200 miles each way to Bar Harbor is a long way. I spent a lot of time in Pemequid Harbor, near Damariscotta.

 

Dogs are the absolute best!!

 

Yeah - Mrs Lizard just told me today that her quilting/co-conspirator friend is attending the Sisters' Quilt stuff next weekend and she didn't even mention going to it to me. We were there a few years ago and were going to go back but somehow never make it. Of course now it's too late to schedule hotels/planes/cars otherwise I'd look you up and hoist a few - screw your indecisive friends! Of course last time I remember sitting in a stopped line of traffic with the buzzards circling overhead...

 

I truly wish it were easier to get Parabola on the East Coast. I get a bottle or 2 each year and save them for the holidays at the end of the year. Your post makes me want to drink mine right now. After having beers all afternoon, it is all I can do to avoid the temptation!

 

Time for another brew for our hero...

Passion Fruit Kicker | Green Flash Brewing Co.


Green Flash Brewing - Passion Fruit Kicker by imbibehour, on Flickr

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Poured from the can into a nonic pint glass.

Pale and opaque lemon body, with a nice soapy tall three finger head, maybe even slightly taller. Bright white, settles and pops with a bit of soapy retention to a pock marked top, and a faint collar. Nice looking brew.

Very strong on the fruit angle for the aroma. Tropical fruit smelling, and quite a bit of breakfast box juice character. Mimosa smelling with a light sense of spritzy character but with a good sense of wheat density, but definitely emphasizing fruit.

Palate goes for a true fruit blast. Wet juice, but a good wheaty thick malt body that manages to stay away from fruit breakfast drink just enough. Lots of tropical fruit flavors on first sip and the mid palate, following with just a hint of faint hop bitterness to keep it interesting. A bit of an indistinct style in terms of malt and hops, but does give excellent fruit quality.

A solid fruit brew, but does delve a bit into outside beer realm territory. Does provide as advertised as a fruit kicker for sure.

look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75 | BA Score : 3.85

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Happy Day B4 The 4th, NBSers. I have a couple from the New Belgium collab pack, then a big imperial stout. First up, this offering from NB and Rhinegeist.



Fat Tire is of course an iconic beverage in our little neck of the internets. After Boulevard Pale Ale, Fat Tire was the beer that showed me flavor was good. For a time, there was a 12er of Fat Tire in my beer fridge - I loved the buscuity malt flavors.

But palates change, and mine certainly did, and New Belgium's offerings started to taste "rounded off" (similar to BBC) - plus they kinda ticked me off when they discontinued Mighty Arrow, which was "my beer" at Little O's HS grad party, and I REALLY liked that beer.

But my local had the collab pack, so I decided to pick it up, and I really enjoyed the Fat Hoppy Ale. But this, IMHO, misses the marks. The pour is beautiful - mostly clear, amber/golden hues, with a couple of fingers of slightly off-white head. The smell is Fat Tire-ish with the buscuity malt, so good to go, but the taste is all over - a little biscuit, some hops, but no Belgian yeast I can discern, and the feel is ..... meh. Overall, just a beer that doesn't have a shining characteristic, just middle-of-the-road.

Rated 3.59.

Here's Mrs. O catching our dinner today. I may starve.

 

That is very interesting- since I worked there as a chef and my brother currently owns The Bradley Inn. Also lived in Damariscotta when I worked there. Send me a BM- we will talk. My bro also runs The Contented Sole right now.

 

My minor league team is the Trenton Thunder. I've been following them for years and I have a hat and a windbreaker. It doesn't hurt that they're the AA team of the Yankees. That said, this season the Thunder could probably beat the Yanks!

 

#2, the second collab pack offering.



This is the Fat Sour Apple Ale. It pours a beautiful clear golden copper with a finger of mostly white head. There's a little apple on the nose, and the taste is a little sour and appley, but it's mostly just watery, and the feel has nothing whatsoever to do with a sour.

Rated 3.51.

 

Springsteen fronting Steel Mill?

 

It's a beautiful area of Maine. My best friend's family moved up there in the early '70's and my family used to visit with them every summer. It was a unique vacation for a Jersey kid. I loved it. Ironically, my best friend, who was a year younger, ended up moving back to New Jersey, although we don't stay in as close contact as we should.