New Beer Sunday (week 603)

They could have said the same of Alfred Hitchcock, Frank Capra or Francis Ford Coppola!

 

Sorry for the delay. Aroma- LIke a hop flower, Can't be specific on the variety, I am just not that trained. But wow, this smell hits you and you think, this is a really hoppy, really fresh beer. By the way, date on can is 8/23/16.

 

On to a New Brewery Sunday!

Ok, not a new brewery in that I've never had their beers. Quite the contrary (though somehow I've only rated one of the at least half dozen I've had over the years). Pleased to meet you, Odell Brewing Company:


This is Piña Agria, an Anerican Wild Ale. Some info:

So this beer is a flat dirty orange. Translucent at best, it's not the prettiest of beers, even for a wild ale. I did note clarity improved through the pour, though.

Nose has a nicely subdued sour ale general nature to it - not too sour, not too funky... a little sweet-tart, maybe. Scents are of pineapple core - you know, the more bland to Eden bitter part of a real pineapple? And also a little bit of weak watermelon.

Taste is also more balanced than I expected, or in this case, hoped. Funkiness wins over sourness. Prickliness of feel comes across as being from an unseen carbonation, but may also be a slightly misinterpreted sour bite. The pineapple is not really coming across to me, and the notes are more of a funky tart apple and some nectarine more than pineapple. There is a little melon note I the back.

I actually think this could be a case of my impression of pineapple being a fairly sweet fruit. Take that away, or counter it with sour and funk, and I lose the "pineappleness." I've not ever really had a non-sweet pineapple, maybe it tastes like like this.

So, this beer in this sitting could use a bit more sour for me. But I find its profile intriguing as a funky to tart wild ale just enough to wonder what I'd think on another occasion.

 

Maybe my last for the day, and going back to The Veil. This time it's a chocolate milk stout:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/41018/208582/?ba=woemad#review:

A little unbalanced, more than a little undercarbonated, but still a tasty dessert beer. Wish I'd saved it for after dinner.Thanks, @gopens44!

 

BAs!!
Finally getting my hands on The Alchemist Crusher!
After a crazy busy day at work, I wish I had something lighter to drink (working out of town today) but boy, my tastebuds and palate had it work cut out with this beast.
No relief for the weary. Lol.
Pop, hiss of can tab opening and out rushes the hop aromas. Strong tropical and dank notes. This promises to take me to a land full of fruits, pungent strong hop notes. Fact that I am talking about aroma prior to look tells one about how strong the nose is. She is like Cleopatra!
Now I go on to pour in my glass, pleasing orangish hazy colors meet my eye. Nice 2 finger head and strong lacing.
First sip and I pause midway, inundated with hop juice. Citrus, tropical, pungent, moldy bitter. An absolute assault on the palate.
Very nice dry finish. It has that soft feel. As it warms, it becomes way more acceptable and yummy.
Many thanks to @mmorris15 for this fantastic brew.
Cheers.

 

Thank you and you're welcome. A day that is etched in stone mentally. I can't imagine the horror experienced by those that lost loved ones, the first responders, or those living in proximity to the affected areas. It's still beyond belief fifteen years later.

 

Wait, what?

 

Happy Belgian Strong Dark Ale Sunday!

Did a nice hike today at around 7000-8000+ ft., really alittle too late start, trees are starting to change colors, around 70, sunny. Having a pretty tasty brew, and watching the Giants/Dallas game (4th). A nice take on the style from Deschutes.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/63/227995/?ba=Wasatch#review

Cheers!

 

New AMERICAN Beer Sunday
Just sitting here on the deck listening to some David Gilmour and recalling the vivid memories of the events that unfolded this day 15 years ago. My cousin had a 9:00 am meeting in one of the towers that was canceled the night before. I raise my glass to those that had their life taken from them and their families that had to live through it.

My new beer today was part of a generous gift from @2beerdogs. He saw that @SanFranJake had hooked me up with the first version so he thought I would enjoy this. He was right.

My review (it was brief as I did it during a MNF) of Chronology 6 for reference:
4.08/5 rDev +1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Very murky, mahogany color. Smells wonderful. Bourbon, carmelized sugars . Tastes like an English Barleywine. Dark fruits, toffee, caramel, bourbon. A little bit too sweet and rich, but very smooth for the ABV.

Now for Chronology 12:

92/5 rDev -5.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured right down the middle of a snifter from a waxed 750ml bottle. It produced a pretty decent cream colored head that you definitely don't get with a less aggressive pour, but it still dissipated quickly into a quarter thick ring around the outside of the glass. It is a chestnut brown and very muddy/murky.

Smells very rich. Molasses, carmalized brown sugar, baked bread, lots of bourbon, some sour fruit, significant alcohol, and a touch of apple cider vinegar.

For as much aroma as it has, there are probably even more flavors. In addition to everything above, I also notice the oak/tannins, some red grape skin, a touch of coconut, raisin, and a big spicy kick that I am sure isn't the alcohol, but not sure what to attribute it to. Almost rye like.

The one thing that I can't overlook is the alcohol. Yes it is almost 17%, but I swear the 6 month version wasn't this boozy. It hits you early and often, and any lingering flavors seem to be drowned out a bit by astringency.

The body is very nice. Not to thick and syrupy, but not thinned out by the barrels either. The biggest knock is the alcohol burn.

This was interesting and fun. I would love to try the 6 and 12 month side by side. I think that in a lot of ways this one might have more flavor depth if memory is correct, but the alcohol presence in this one seems much stronger even though the abv doesn't reflect it. I drink plenty of bourbon neat, so it doesn't bother me, but objectively speaking it is a bit too much for a beer. All of that being said, it still tastes more like an English Barleywine (at least a hybrid), but it is a very tasty beer and has plenty of flavors to enjoy.

 

Where about in Colorado? I'm leaving in 12 days and hoping to still catch some fall color.

 

According to my late uncle, who did a lot of genealogy after he retired, Powhattan was my 12th great grandfather. It's far enough back to be virtually meaningless, but it's kinda cool.

 

Always happy when serendipity takes over and thrusts me into NBS headlong. Not only did my wife pick this up with no more direction than grab something (and more for the label than anything else) an hour ago from our co-op, but the brewery was showcased in the magazine this week https://www.beeradvocate.com/mag/14...ntown-breweries-embrace-urban-farmhouse-beer/and it is a saison which I have trying to focus on in an attempt to overcompensate for my inability but desire to brew one this summer.

Well-crafted and unassuming. The right amount of sour for me to make it refreshing and give that rustic quality that makes it almost seem that it was done out back with whatever was fermentable at the time. Golden with a effervescent, white head. A touch cloudy with a little yeast setting at the bottom. Light-bodied and very drinkable. Can't wait for their tasting room to open.

 

I think the reports of "bad bottles" we're from the collab with GI. It was a BCBBW blend.
Just kidding. I'm still bitter.

 

Greetings All from the Northwest, where we are skeptical of the Seahawks.

Today we have Hopzeit "Autumn IP" from Deschutes.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/63/229236/

It's a nice brew, not sure why they had to call it an IPA. Probably a marketing thing? I make it more of a hopped up red or amber ale.

I have the brew kettle fired up this afternoon. Brewing the holiday ales.

This morning I saw this article on the website https://www.beeradvocate.com/mag/14411/be-an-intelligent-beer-consumer/ which said:

"Homebrew
It’s not for everyone, but a hands-on approach to the brewing process will teach you more about beer styles and what a truly bad beer is (we’ve all been there, and learned from it). You’ll appreciate brewers on a whole new level."

I tend to agree. I started home brewing with a Mr. Beer Kit and I have been expanding on that ever since. So if you haven't tried brewing your own, give it a shot. It does give you an appreciation for the process if nothing else.

So we shall see what comes of the Seahawks. Not a great beginning, but a win just the same.

Until next time,

Happy Trails!

 

Grand Mesa/Fruita Division, about 30 miles from GJ. Let me know if you want to get together for a brew or 2.

Cheers!

 

Over the past few weeks, we have started getting a few new breweries distributing in our area. One of these is Southern Prohibition Brewing, and today's new beer is their Mississippi Fire Ant - an imperial red ale.

Well, it certainly looks the part. Nice deep red tinted brown with a generous dense white head.

Aroma and flavor wise, it's pretty straight forward. Toasted malts, caramel, and earthy hops. Very similar in some ways to Stone's AB but not near as hoppy.

Alcohol is very well hidden. I probably wouldn't have guessed it at 8%.

Overall, easy drinking and enjoyable. Something I would likely pick up again.



https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/32543/108380/?ba=richj1970#review

 

Greetings, NBSers. This first beer was a gift from an online retailer. You know you MAY be ordering too much stuff when a business sends you freebies cross country. Or maybe they knew what they were doing. Read on at your own risk .....



The base beer is not my favorite, so I approached this with some trepidation. It pours a beautiful golden-hued straw color with a couple of fingers of off-white head.

The smell is HUUUUUGE watermelon - like you've stuck your melon in a watermelon tank. Red flag #1. No discernible hop aromas. Red flag #2.

As I raise the glass for a taste, I quiver. There's the watermelon. It's pounding me with a cloying sweetness - I'm drinking a Watermelon Jolly Rancher with alcohol in it.

I know that sounds like a good thing, but it's really not. Too sweet, too much watermelon. It's not a drain pour by any means, but it's also not a beer to seek, IMHO.

Rated 3.62 (charitably).

 

Now up Finback Moss. Didn't like this as much as Oscillation 005, but I have also come to the conclusion that El Dorado hops are hit and miss for me in regular IPAs, I only seem to really like them in black IPAs. With that said here's my review:

4.08/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

16 oz can, dated 8/23/16, poured into a teku

A- A slightly hazy light copper with a large white head.

S- Stone fruits, some caramel malts, tropical fruits, mild citrus, piney/resin bitterness.

T- Some sweeter stone fruits, caramel malts, piney/resin bitter finish, mild citrus.

M- Smooth, medium body.

O- A tasty DIPA that leans towards the sweet side.

Might try to squeeze one more review in tonight, see how grading goes and how I feel when I finish this, cheers!

 

I agree with you. These do not conform to style. But Holy Cow they nail the flavor they're going for. I find them so interesting and tasty.

 

It's been quite a run. Haven't missed NBS for quite awhile but there's a first for everything. Just want to say I remember exactly where I was that fateful dayb15 years ago. Thank you to all the first responders and firefighters. And to all that lost their lives we shall never forget. See you next week on NBS. Everything looks fantastic as usual. Cheers