New Beer Sunday (week 604)

Do you guys know what season it is?

THAT'S RIGHT KIDS! FRESH HOP SEASON!
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!

Yet another reason that Autumn is my season of choice and yet another affirmation as to why I love living where I do (did you know that Washington state accounts for approximately 77% of all hops grown in the United States?).
This time of year is a magical salute to our favourite flower and local brewers love to take it upon themselves to take advantage of proximity and craft delicate odes to the possibilities locked within that cone.

Today's offering is the aptly named Fresh, from Fort George Brewery down in Astoria, OR



The vessel seems to take shape around this panacea as I pour, becoming a solid entity, given purpose by it's contents. Golden amber in hue and opaque enough to banish thoughts of the opposite wall of the glass, it is capped in white, a head which recedes, clinging to the edges as a fearful child.

Nose presents with a soft glow up front bringing a fruit like nectarine and.... and... something I can't quite put my finger on. There are allusions to melon and to salmon coloured pants and maybe even some sea foam green lurking amidst the pale citrus orange. Unique and intriguing, I must know more.

Much like LOST, however, the mystery presented is not necessarily the one solved. Unlike LOST, though, the end result of this one is still all encompassingly very good. Flavour presents soft and gentle. The bold if restrained choices of the nose are subdued here and blend to create an intoxicatingly lush den.
This beer is dangerously drinkable.

And now it's gone.

 

Greetings all on a beautiful Sunday,
Thanks to @cavedave for his bountiful intro to another version of NBS!
I'm on a mission today, and will be on the road quite a bit in preparation for our trip next week to the top of Elk Ridge close to 3600 ft above Valle Crucis. My son texted me the other night complaining of an ailing golf game. I volunteered to help and Friday we spent several hours at a nearby range, working on some bad habits that had quietly slipped into his swing (we're both low handicappers). Now at 31 he is better at taking advice than a few years back, and he brought along some Sierra Nevada/Mahrs Oktoberfest and Almanac Mandarina, so we had fun while working on his game.
I drank the SN/Mahrs from the bottle and Almanac Mandarina from the can. The Oktoberfest was beautifully crisp, with an active bead, leaving a nice little head in the bottle after each sip (about 4-5 per bottle). The nose was roasty dark bread, and a sweetish maltiness, but the flavor was malty, dry, and very easy drinking and very refreshing out in the sun. The 6% alcohol is not noticeable, but there, and the rich flavors build as the potion warms a bit. I love this beer and years ago I would have pounded them down. 2 was perfect. Highly recommended, and a nice take on the style, staying dry, but nice and malty...a fine tightrope to traipse. The Almanac Mandarina (4.3%) is a farmhouse ale, low alcohol, citrusy, extremely easy to drink, was very fresh, dryish and perfectly crisp for the teaching task at hand. 6 of these and a round of golf would be a nice "match". Not a complicated beer but quite good.
My son started out with a mysterious pull hook, but with some stance and grip adjustments, slowing down the pace of his swing, keeping him aware to not grip or swing too hard, he worked out some bugs. At the end, I had him fading his driver with very high 300 yard blasts. It was a lot of fun, and I can thank my son, Sierra Nevada, and Almanac for a nice afternoon!

Balsam Range was fantastic at last week's National Folk Festival in Greensboro. The festival will be back next year for the last of its 3 year stop here in town. I would urge all of you to visit our beautiful city, and to catch this event next September. Cheers all!

 

Happy NBS everyone! I dived head first in the Oktoberfest biers this year, as it's one of my favorite styles. Started several weeks ago with Sierra Nevada's collaboration, followed by Spaten, Victory Festbier, and most recently Ayinger's outstanding Oktober Fest-Märzen yesterday for the official start of Oktoberfest.

I had a contemplative experience when I bought that Spaten though. My purchase at the store that time consisted of a 6-pack of Spaten Oktoberfest and a bomber of Blue Point Helles. It wasn't til I got home that I realized I had bought all AB-Inbev products. A feeling of guilt immediately washed over me, but should it have? Not to beat a dead horse on this site here, but I typically focus the majority of my beer money away from the industry's big boys like ABI. It's a personal choice and there are exceptions of course for beers that I really love. But, for some reason, the sale of Blue Point always rubbed me the wrong way. Maybe because it was it was one of ABI's early craft acquisitions (I think it was their 2nd one, after Goose Island?) so it was still relatively early in the game, or maybe it's because it took some of the production from NY and shifted it across the country to other facilities. Either way, I haven't had a Blue Point beer in a long time but decided to give it a shot for some reason when I saw their Helles, another style I love. So, without further ado...

Blue Point Helles



The beer pours clear and deep gold in color, a touch darker than most Helles lagers. Small white head that shows very good retention, thanks to lively carbonation. Earthy noble hops are evident in the aroma, but it's lacking that big whiff of freshly cracked grains that you would usually get from the malt. Light apple, pear, and white grapes that carry over to the flavor as well. The fruit seems a little out of place. Tastes just fine, although it's a little dull and unexciting. None of the ingredients really standout for me. Dry, chalky finish but a bit too heavy and bitter.

If I had tasted this blind I would have guessed it's a poorly-made Kolsch. It's not a bad tasting beer, but instead of showcasing the malt like a Helles does so well, there is too much of a fruity character and I'm left wanting more of a clean lager feel. Not recommended but glad I gave it a try.

look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Score: 3.42/5

 

Man this is great stuff. My first Trillium beer, and it definitely delivered!

 

Hey what's going on?!

Bit of a crazy week... I am in the middle of racking and dry hopping my English IPA as we speak... going well, still quite shocked my hop vine has produced so well.

It's still to dang hot out, I am really aching for some cool weather soon. But we should possibly get a break right? I mean right? ...

I am waiting on a shipment of California West coast goodies, but until then I am actually low on new beers. Plus I have my own brew.. which I am not sure how it's going to turn out. Brew day was real frustrating, I didn't have my thermometer calibrated and it was so friggin hot out even at 11 PM at night that I couldn't even chill my wort.

Argh.. what frustration.. In the end also I talked with my homebrewing club members about it and another guy had the EXACT same problem that day as well...

Well with that only a few little new things in the wood work today.. not much beer on hand either, but that should change...

What's new for our hero?? let's see what goodies we have..

First victim...

What the? Is there no entry for this beer at all? really ? I guess I will be the first...

Double Brown Throwdown Imperial Brown Ale | Rogue Ales


Rogue Ales - Double Brown Throwdown Imperial Brown Ale by imbibehour, on Flickr

Poured from the bottle into a nonic pint glass.

Slightly fizzy sounding as tan head forms of about two fingers. Chestnut and mahogany brown with a good clarity and shiny appearance. Head dissolves next to nothing quite quickly barely even leaving a faint collar.

Aroma is quite a nice mixture. Nutty liqueur qualities and light molasses. Comes off a bit sticky smelling, very much like strong taffy and a gooey sensation. Hints of hazelnut make it a little interesting, but it has a bit of syrupy quality.

Palate is a bit uninspiring. Flattened cola like body for a mouthfeel. Mid palate has some washing toasty qualities but also a bit of burnt grain taste. Cola nut and soda like tasting finish with a bit of char and bitterness. Flattened fizzy cola texture with a bit of nice soft chewy grain flavors.

For an imperial brew this is pretty lifeless and just flat, quite a disappointment but life could be worse.

look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3 | BA Generated Score: 3.24

Cheers!

 

Good Morning, NBS! Slept in today a bit, sad how the first day back to the gym leaves one drained when they are really out of shape. Actually not sure that was entirely the reason, but I am sore today already. That's usually an indication (not that I needed one) that I haven't done any lifting in a while, as usually the soreness takes until the second day.

Anyhow, my physical conditioning aside, I still have a beer that is set up for this Sunday, and it's a birthday lager. Not my birthday, mind you, although we are going out later to celebrate a birthday. It is the brewery's birthday, and apparently Otter Creek has been around 25 years:


I actually had no interest in this beer, but the bottle shop I was at Friday had a tasting that included this beer. I really enjoyed it, and thought the GF would like it, too - although apparently I was a tad off on the latter thought. She likes it ok, but I think the psychology of it being a lager is affecting her brain .

25th Anniversary Double IPL pours lighter than my picture indicates, but is both more yellow and more brown than a flat golden beer color. The beer is also not very clear at all, and I can just see the impression of my fingers on the other side of the glass at its thickest point.

The creamy white head is impressive, and both the GF's and my glasses were left with clumps and sheets of lacing.

Unfortunately, after going outside for that picture, I little allergic bout hit me, so I might not hit the scent properly. I do get a certain dank note from the hops on this beer. There is an enticing orange cream note in there as well, supplying a nice citrus break from the raw greenness of the other hop notes. In other words, I might guess Citra and/or Mosaic were used in this beer (but I am probably wrong).



The taste starts off with a clean, citrus honey-like sweetness - which is something that, to me, indicates this is a lager. Something I believe I note in lagers is that the sweetness of the malt comes through cleaner and becomes a more prominent part of the beer than in many ales.

The rest of the early taste until near the end scream out the qualities of an IPA. I actually get a little oaken note after the malt opening that seems to act as a signal, "Malt time is over, time to get down to some hop business." The hop profile is not a surprise, making me think my olfactory senses were not too badly affected earlier. The initial notes are not actually bitter, with citrus shining up front - tangelo, orange cream (hmmm... think El Dorado hops?). Generic tropical notes join the fray before some actual bitterness gains traction.

The bitter notes are accented by a little tickling carbonation, but include some classic orange and grapefruit rind/zest, before getting a tad resnous with pine twigs and needles. The beer is medium in body to me, with a certain level of sweetness throughout. That sweetness I think gets hidden pretty well in the middle of the taste by the bittering agents, but just plods along and comes out the back end to clean up the taste.

This offering seems to be both sweet and bitter, bitter and sweet. But this is not what I would call a "balanced beer." The notes come and go and do not quite "combine" to be balanced, as I would describe it. Maybe it's equally unbalanced on opposite sides and different times?

Anyhow, I'd love it if someone else has a chance to review this here at some point. Also, this song (obviously, if you know it) came to me as I started typing the last paragraph: Bittersweet - Big Head Todd and the Monsters

 

That beer is the Cuvee Dry Hopping from 2016. They change the hops each year and this year it's Brewer's Gold. It's been entered into the database as a distinct entry (which is understandable when looking at the label). I'm assuming past years have not since there's just one other "Cuvee Dry Hopping" entry. Previous labels stated: "Cuvee Dry Hopping 2015" etc.

I don't know the standard operating procedure here if an annual hop change that's reflected on the label would be considered a distinct beer or not... but it's clear that the normal entry is acting as a bucket for all previous vintages in this case.

@dbrauneis

(I wish I had that beer in my fridge!)

 

Gorgeous Shots @SawDog505

 

We seem to get some random Fremont offerings down here. I will look that one up!!! Thanks for putting it on my radar.

 

OK, many of your descriptions and your comment, "Overall this is a contemplative combination of elements that makes the complex seem simple, like the shape of a perfect tea rose where all the parts combine together into a most pleasing whole," have me totally intrigued.

 

"My only issue with this is I do not have another bottle!!"
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Yes, I also have this "issue" often.

 

Great Music. Thanks. Love the old steam videos too.

 

I think it should be listed differently for each year if that's how they're brewing it.

 

Like a lot of folks I tend to do several things at once. A tv going on in the background while I'm online and drinking a beer all at the same time. When I find a well crafted beer with layers of things going on I may mute the tv, close the laptop and just concentrate on the beer. This is one of those contemplative beers that hold my full attention.

Just wish I had Maria's depth of perception and power of expression.

 

Hi friends and what an awesome day for NBS thus far! Excellent start by @cavedave
You may have upped the ante for you and @utopiajane !!
Since it's almost the last of last few days to enjoy some summer styles, I am joining in with...
Ayinger Bavarian Weisenbock!
What the bock! I have to confess that I was drawn to ales early on and lagers were my second choice. Time changes everything and I have to say that lager is one extreme beer @utopiajane
Living close to Allagash brewing it was easy to favor Belgian brews and the Germans took a backseat. I have to specifically say danke to people who favor the awesome German style beers and made me interested in them. @TongoRad @JackHorzempa and many others.
It has opened up a whole new world for me. It almost seems like the journey of discovering different styles of beer is going to be one of a lifetime.
This beer seems like a perfect fit for me, someone whose culinary life revolves around spices. It pours from a 500 ml bottle with a nice haze and mild, or should I say pale brownish orangish color with a rich looking 2 finger head that looks very inviting.
Rich aromas of bananas and caramel with some baking spices come in as I inhale. Sipping in brings rich layers of the classic Bavarian yeast induced bananas and cloves. This is interwoven beautifully with mild sweetness, caramel like. The spice and hints of tartness balance the sweetness very well.
Feels nice and smooth, despite the spices.
Absolutely perfect for an early fall day which tends to heat up in the afternoon before chilling well in night.
This is a treat that I feel lucky to have enjoyed.
Cheers to the changing seasons and beer to pair!!

 

As I was reading your post I was thinking "this beer is reading like a Kolsch" and then I saw that you mentioned that as well.

Yup, a bit strange that you are picking up fruity flavors in a Helles.

Cheers!

 

Good afternoon to all the NBS followers from a wonderfully rainy day here in central NH. We badly need the rain being over 15" below the normal levels for this time of year. Some local ponds are at the lowest levels I have ever seen. I'm hoping the weather man is right and we have rain and showers through tomorrow.
I was up early this morning and loaded the smoker with a bunch of turkey thighs and a couple of pork shoulders, The turkey thighs are looking good.

I will return them to finish as they cook a lot faster than the pork shoulders do.

I attended a local beer release yesterday and from that comes my new beer for this Sunday and it is Tequila Barrel Aged Rocky from From the Barrel Brewing in Londonderry, NH.

3.93/5 rDev n/a
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

From a bottle from the 9/17/2016 release poured into my Locals tasting snifter.
This beer pours a golden orange color fairly clear with a thin white head that leaves some nice lacing on the glass.
The nose is pretty strong to the barrel aging with the Tequila being the most prominent aroma. There is a sweet smell present I assume from the malts in this blend.
The taste is close to what I expected from a barrel aged beer like this. A fair amount of Tequila in the front right now (will have to see if some age tones it down a little) there are some nice malts in the back of the mouth but still kind of hidden by the Tequila.
The mouthfeel is smooth a nice amount of carbonation.
In all this is a solid beer. Good flavors from the Tequila Barrel aging (I'll admit to being a Bourbon drinker) but perhaps still a little hot for my taste. I'm hoping a little more age will mellow this beer out.
Sadly the rain has stopped here for now but I'm hoping there will be more to come later this afternoon. Perhaps if I have more time in between tending the smoker I'll find another new beer to share this afternoon.

 

Figured you had already sorted it out and wasn't disappointed. Since the Duvel Tripel hop has a new hop every year as the third one and gets a new entry for each year, makes sense for things to go that way with the Dupont.

 

On this second day of Octoberfest celebrations kicking off in Germany, I am trying out several Marzens in what is like to call "Observations Complete with Testing Of Beer Earmarked for Release at Festivals Exhalting Special Time" or simply "OCTOBERFEST" for short.

First up is the Spaten Octoberfest



Nice color. Solid, clear caramel color with what turns into a fairly thin head and virtually no lacing.

Nose has few moving parts as the three dominant tones are noble hops, biscuity malt and some corn presence.

Taste follows along with the nose, as I'm immediately enjoying that noble thing, but the taste also brings with it a sweet caramel backbone.

Finish is a little sweet for this medium bodied beer.

 

DUNKEL ME!!!

Erdinger Weissbier Dunkel | Erdinger Weissbräu


Erdinger Weissbräu - Erdinger Weissbier Dunkel by imbibehour, on Flickr

Poured from the bottle into a curved wheat ale glass.

Deep chestnut brown body, with a slight bit of cola carbonation, and mix of finer bubbles. Head is a big tan and creamy froth! Classic bulging with ice cream scoop licking properties. Big hold, big head, and creamy fine retention, more as if it was just shoved on top than created from the bottom. Classic, aggressive, in control, booming. Just great looking.

Aroma takes minor touches of toffee but has a very dry phenolic property to it. Drying clove and almost char smelling to powdery flour. Clean, but also a bit closed. Not too much going on the nose here.

Palate sticks to basics nicely. Light toffee and an excellent creamy mouthfeel hitting almost like a British ale yeast. Fruit sensing berries, mixing in with milk chocolate in the mid palate. Finishes with clotted cream and light body feelings and flavors.

A real nice simple dunkel, limits on the depth but a creamy flavor and esters seems to be very unique and making a good drinking experience.

look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4 | BA Score 3.96

Cheers!

oh almost forgot... been busy this afternoon...