New Beer Sunday (week 602)

Greetings fellow NBSers! A cloudy and chilly morning here in the Fourth Corner has given way to a beautiful, warm, sunny afternoon. As noted earlier, I jumped at the chance to make a run out to the North Fork Brewery, Pizzeria, Beer Shrine and Wedding Chapel, and, an excellent decision it was. The DooLittle Sour, was still on tap, so 3 of those went down, the batch 2 of Electric Berryland (recently reviewed by @woemad ) was pouring, so obviously one of those was had, and, they tapped a brand new Pale, dry-hopped with a "Big Ass addition of Centennial and Sorachi Ace" was put on while we were there. A free sample was poured for us, so, a pint was procurred, and becomes my first NBS entry for the day: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1606/247630/

I'm friends with the brewer, and he suggested that we swing by the back of the brewery before we left. Well, no fool am I, so we did. We were then coerced into assisting in the QA program for the next bottling run of Son of Freud. Hard work. A few more weeks until this one is ready for release.

OK, after all that, I'm about to crack open my exciting new object, I'll be back in a bit with that.

 

Lefty’s Brewing Company's (Greenfield, Massachusetts) Barrel-Aged Bean's Brew Coffee Stout from their 5th Anniversary Bourbon Barrel Series.
Aged 11 months in "freshly emptied bourbon barrels from Kentucky." 10.5% abv.

Aged 11 months in a bourbon barrel. Bottled 11\24\2015. Enjoyed 9\4\2016.
L. Smooth opaque black, not too thick, frothy tan head reducing to a film in 2 minutes.
S. Coffee is most prevalent, roasted malt, cocoa, hint of booze.
T. Coffee, chocolate malt, slightest booze, and a hint of sour underneath it all. Somewhat sour chocolaty aftertaste.
F. A little more than medium bodied, low carbonation, warm finish.
O. Any bourbon and/or barrel influence has probably been muted by too much time in the bottle (just a guess), not to mention the sourness. I've had others in their Bourbon Barrel Series, and the bourbon/barrel really stood out. "This beer is unfiltered and unpasteurized" (on the label), so I'm calling this My Bad. Still, an OK beer. 3.36/5. Cheers!

 

Sounds like it's a tough life you lead.

Lonely are the brave.

 

Sand Creek Oscar's Chocolate Oatmeal Stout, 4.5% ABV, 30 IBU. Pours thin and black, with three finger tan head. Nose is sweet chocolate, slight chocolate taste with moderate coffee bitterness. Mouthfeel is not up to expectations for an oatmeal stout, and given only a slight chocolate taste the overall rating is only good. With the other decent one's on the market, I'm thankful I only got a single.

 

I'm sure y'all are just waiting breathlessly to find out just what the hell I'm so excited about today. Well, your wait is over. You can uncross the legs. The time is here. The news shall be delivered. you're to find out. Yuuuuge news! So excites am I. Ya ready? Sure? OK then. Here we go. The waiting is over. Courtesy of @woemad . My first crowler!!!!!!!

32oz of a very nice collaboration between two of WA's more undernoticed, but still excellent, breweries, Everybody's in White Salmon (with an outstanding view of Mt. Hood from their deck) and Iron Goat in Spokane. I have no idea what they have a view of. Maybe Bing Crosby's hairpiece? A nicely tart and salty Gose: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/29334/227488/

 

New Trappist Ale Sunday

Next up for me today was Spencer Trappist Ale: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/33618/108956/?ba=bluejacket74#review

Been waiting to try this one, and luckily it's now available in Ohio. Glad I picked this one up!




I think I'll have one more new brew today.....

 

#2 .....



I've been sitting on this for nearly a year. Every NBS since I purchased it, I look at it in the beer fridge. It looks at me. Is tonight the night? No. For nearly a year.

Tonight is the night. It pours a jet black color with absolutely no leakage around the edges, and 2+ fingers of dark tan head. The aroma is dark fruit, some booze, and TONS of cocoa. The dark fruit is present up front in the taste, but the barrel and cocoa quickly take over and blend to make this the smoothest drinking 13% ABV beer I've ever had. I wish I'd purchased 6 bombers of this.

Rated 4.27.

 

Southern Tier Creme Brulee, 10% ABV, 55 IBU. Pours thick and black, with a two finger tan head. Smells strongly of sweet caramel, taste is cream, sweet caramel, with a bitter finish. A bit over-carbonated, so mouthfeel is just OK. Overall a decent beer, as long as you like sweet. I might get it again, over-carbonation may have been an anomaly.

 

Really, your first crowler? I did not expect that.

And for the record Iron Goat's view is not as impressive as Everybody's. Depending on the time of day, it's of a car dealership across the street, or of rush hour traffic waiting to turn right to cross the river on the Maple St. Bridge.

 

Happy NBS!! Absolutely loved all the posts today.
Enjoying the "wicked" dry hopped APA from Peak brewing.
Pairing it with a home cooked indian spread.
It's juicy, piney, some citrus and tangerines.
Nicely drinkable. The unique thing about the this beer is not overdoing any department.
Some spice, grassiness and mild grapefruit and orange pith.
Not my favorite APA but a decent brew.
Cheers.

Food on plate: Paratha, paneer curry, peanut and spice suffed roasted eggplants, raita, rice and daal makhani (lentils)

 

First time having this one... Flipping amazing....
Full mouth feel, boozy (16%) even with the high abv it was extremely smooth...very good beer will be looking for more.

 

While that beer looks tasty, that plate of Indian food is really making me salivate. My leftover Salsa Meatloaf is entirely outclassed.

 

Another from the recent box courtesy of @woemad , is a beer I swear I've had before. But, maybe it was just at a fest, or something, so I'm gonna call it NBS eligible: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/29334/84613/

 

Think I'm on my last new beer for this Sunday; still have a lot of new beers just might save them for another day, see how my palate after finishing this. Now up a beer I am very excited to try OH/RAR Greenprint. I haven't tried a lot from OH but I have had great IPAs from them and RAR is a semi-local favorite of mine so I couldn't wait to see what they did together!

4.37 +5.8%
4.25/.4.75/4.25/4.25/4.24/4.25
16 oz can poured into a teku

A- A hazy golden orange/copper with a two finger white head.

S- Lemon and lime zest, some grapefruit and tropical fruits, slightly piney. This is all about the citrus zest!

T- Lemon and lime zest is much more mild than the nose, grapefruit, hints of tropical fruits, slightly dank/piney, hints of a sweet malt backbone.

M- Smooth, medium body.

O- A tasty beer, but just wish the lemon and lime zest shined through more in the taste. A solid collaboration between OH and RAR, just was hoping for a slightly more vibrant IPA in this collaboration.

 

New Gose/Session Sour Sunday

And with my last new brew of the day, I had some DFH SeaQuench Ale: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/64/235905/?ba=bluejacket74#review



I enjoyed it, I thought Dogfish Head put a nice twist on a gose. Glad I bought it! Happy NBS everyone, and I'll try and check out everyone else's new brews later today or tomorrow morning sometime. Cheers!

 

New Beer Sunday: A CA version of a Belgian Strong Dark Ale (BSDA)

Evenin' NBSers, with special greetings to those who like to try new interpretations of Belgian styles (even though those Belgians don't think about things such as styles the same way we do ).

Well the weather here today turned out to be quite nice as the fickle Hermine seems to have a mind of its own that made it particularly difficult for the forecasters to predict all that much. The storm was far enough out in the Atlantic that we saw little or nothing of its effects here in SE PA today. (Which actually was a relief given what it did to some of the states it passed by or through. )

This evening's new beer is Monk's Blood from 21st Amendment.

As usual my review, still in progress and subject to revision until the beer is finished, can be found here:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/735/52510/?ba=drtth#review

This is certainly a well made, complex beer with some interesting character provided by the spices and figs used in brewing. The figs, cinnamon and vanilla are noticable, particularly the figs, but none are overwhelming. While the beer is enjoyable enough to drink I don’t think I’ll be buying it too often given that the easily avilable Unibroue Maudite is at or near the top of my list for a BSDA and this one doesn't quite trigger a demotion. (Also Maudite was one of my first loves and the relationship has persisted for year.... )

Well the family guests are gone after a nice week of them sightseeing in and around Philly and our all having the time to get caught up, share meals and a beer or two, etc. (Sometimes the rule that fish and company begin to smell after 3 days just doesn't apply. Especially when family are also friends. )

In keeping with the name of this beer, which is intended to honor the long brewing traditions of the monastic breweries (brewing is in their blood), I decided to put a different kind of Monk on the player tonight and so have been listening to some of this man's music:

Thelonious Monk

Cheers, all!

 

A new beer and brewery for me. A good DIPA. If this is indicative of what they do, I'll be getting more of their stuff. I do have another single, Garden of Grass, but it's also an IPA, so I don't want to review them one right after another, to be fair.Worked today (as usual - plants, like dairy cows, don't take holiday weekends off. ; ) ) , so got a later start (to the important stuff : ) ) than most of y'all . Don't have time for a complete palate-cleanse.

My review :
4.16/5 rDev +2%
look :3.25*| smell : 4 |taste : 4.25 | feel : 4.50 | overall : 4.25
*[Haven't seen anything quite like it, so just a stab in the dark on this category.]
Popping the cap gives a whiff of pine. On the pour, 5 minutes later, the aroma is mostly grapefruit and tangerine, with just a touch of pine. It pours a medium opaque orangey-amber. with half inch off-white head, quickly dissipating, leaving no lacing.
Flavor is mostly grapefruit, with light pine and tangerine. (No grass.) Very soft, small carbonation. Nice. Right now, after it has warmed, it has a pleasant dank, boozy-shellac aroma . Bought a single this time, but will gladly get more if I see it again.

 

Yeah, this has been one interesting weather event that has kept the TV crews pretty busy talking about what might happen, what is happening, what has happened, etc. Frankly, given what the storm did to FL, GA, SC and NC I'm just as glad all those spaghetti models they were showing on the TV were confounded, confused, and all over the map.

 

It led me right into a gluten-free morass! Gad, but I really pity anyone stricken with Celiac or any other ailment that would lead them to these as a possibility. Really. These were unpleasant, sour, cheesy and a number of other descriptors that would be guaranteed to put off even the most hardcore drinker.

I began with: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/88/124791/?ba=woodychandler#review

and CANtinued with: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/22844/199333/?ba=woodychandler#review

before returning to bottles with: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/192/192254/?ba=woodychandler#review & https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/192/199865/?ba=woodychandler#review

I am unsure if I want to continue down this path, but I have at least one more that I could try before all is said & done. This might be a good idea to pick up again next week.

 

Welcome NBS - wasn't here last week, but participating in NBS with my friends, and getting totally plastered on barrel aged beers at several eastern Wisconsin breweries.

Tonight's new beer is J.W. Lees Moonraker Strong Ale. I'll be honest - I'm disappointed with it. It is fairly bland. I'd gladly revisit a fresh one, but this one dated 13 Aug 09 is not something I'd get again.