New Beer Sunday (week 604)

There's something very satisfying about finding new favorite Festbiers and Märzenbiers... the style seems so easy to brew from the outset, but it's intensely tough to balance and perfect. I've had many that had slight faults that brought them down to poor ratings just because of the high density of competition there is in the style. My newest favorite this year has been Castle Island's Festbier. The brewery is pretty much only a year old and have already nailed so many styles that it blows my mind. Their Festbier is perfectly nutty and thirst-quenching with a dry, bready finish and slight floral Noble hop character... huge fan!

 

Well he's 9, so he's probably done growing. he's a mix of English, Bull, and Tibetan Mastiffs, and Rottweiler. He's really gentle, but gets a bit testy around other large dogs, and puppies

 

Hey gang, back for another while putting some steaks on the fire. I picked up this 500ml bottle of Hop Drink when I visited Transient Artisan Ales in Bridgman Michigan last weekend. It's a Farmhouse DIPA with no visible bottle date and an abv. of 8 percent. I'm certain it's fresh as they've been selling bottles briskly since opening in spring. I'm pouring it their signature stemmed glass I purchased at the brewery for the review.

Pours a slightly cloudy dark gold leaving a generous three fingers of off white foam. Little lacing is left behind as it settles. The smell is slightly sour candied green apples, melon, a pepper like spice, some mild floral notes and brett funk in the back. Taste is spicy and floral with orange/grapefruit zest along with green melon. There's a peppery flavor in the finish. The feel is slick, creamy and thin with a slight bitterness in the finish.



While it has some farmhouse qualities, it reminds me more of a Belgian IPA with it's spicy fruity/floral profile. It's nothing world class, but a pretty tasty easy drinking spin on an IPA that's worth a try if you're in Bridgman MI. My score is 3.88 / rDev -1.3%.

Not sure where the rest of my Sunday is headed after this? Probably the couch and some football. I hope to be doing reviews from the Rocky Mountains next week.



Have a great evening, here's the official scorecard.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/34258/124027/?ba=Prager62#review

 

Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale, 5% ABV, 31 IBU. Pours medium brown and thin, 4 finger head leaves light lacing. Nose is slight alcohol, malt, and brown - smells brown, and small nut smell. Taste is also brown, small nut taste, slight bitter close, a little tangy. Mouthfeel is OK. Overall inoffensive, but given small nut nose and taste, not the big nut bomb I had expected. That said, it is going down quickly so does not totally suck.

 

Love Pliny. It's a great beer that always makes me feel good, something to do with that a simple label for sure. I traded a true whale many years ago for a mix of Pliny and Blind Pig, and I've never regretted it a bit.

 

Good evening BAs! It was a busy day with work early, so I'm posting a bit late for NBS. We had a great weekend with our son (age 21) and just dropped him off at the airport. Lots of eye-rolling from my wife as the boy and I geeked out over some big stouts the last few nights. He has the opportunity to spend a semester outdoors in the mountains of New Zealand and I feel like toasting him with a splurge beer. The wife and I live vicariously through our kids, but we're grateful for their opportunities. Alright, on to the beer:

Black Angel from Wicked Weed Brewing - a black sour ale


look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

This was a nearly opaque black color with a one-finger tan head that retreated quickly into a wispy cap. The nose showed oak up front, followed by bourbon, tart cherries, some vanilla, and a subtle musty funk. The palate had the same players for the most part, but in reverse order. My mouth was popped with a crisp cherry tartness before the settling oak and funky notes appeared. Very well-balanced with oak and bourbon in supporting roles but very prominent. Dry, funky finish. It's better as it warms, showing the wood and bourbon a bit more. Really nice. Cheers!

 

Haven't seen it either but I will be on the lookout for you.

 

Otter Creek has gotten really good and a lot of their beers are cheap. I'd drink them a lot more if our local scene hadn't stepped up its game so much. I almost exclusively drink Kane/Carton/Other Half/ Conclave/Magnify. My local beer store guy must think I either died or gave up drinking.

 

Greetings All:

Nice Fall day here in the Great Northwest, where we have seen the Seahawks lose, yet again, to the Rams. But something feels right about calling them "Los Angeles Rams." As a kid Roman Gabriel was one of my heroes. So it's all good.

Today we have 6 Hop IPA from Rogue Farms.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/132/199574/

Wow! What a fruity smelling but well balanced IPA. Limited edition, but this one was good. Up next is 7 Hop.

I didn't see much of the game, just the beginning and the end. I was on the mower most of the afternoon. I figure I can sit in the house and watch football when it's dark and rainy (or snowy) outside and I'm wishing I could be on the mower.

Oh and glass is a tip of the cap to the Odessa Deutschesfest 2016 this weekend. I didn't make it up there this year, but if you are ever in Eastern Washington, 3rd weekend of September, it's worth a visit.

Until next time,

Happy Trails!

 

Good evening, NBS! I just got back after working the Browns game. What a pathetic penalty to ruin an otherwise good chance at a (rare) win. I also just realized after uploading the picture the camera decided to focus more on the more on the fajitas I made for dinner in the background than the beer's label. Oh well.

I liked this, not that Jackie O's puts out much that's bad. Overall 4.1 rDev +2.5%
375ml bottle, 2015 edition, poured into a snifter

A: Mahogany color, next to no head [3.75]
S: Bourbon, malt, honey, a bit of chocolate [4.25]
T: Honey first and foremost followed by bourbon, toffee, a bit of raisin then more honey on the finish [4.25]
M: Full-bodied, flat, a bit of alcohol comes through [3.5]
O: This is aging well and has room to go. I wish it had a bit more lively mouthfeel with a touch less alcohol but that's a minor complaint, overall it's quite tasty [4]

Even though I work at the Browns games I'm a Packers fan and will be opening one of the Platform Peach Spreaders you see on the right shortly for their Sunday Night Football game.
Cheers!

 

My last entry for NBS this week is a collaborative beer from Stillwater Artisanal and Cigar City called 21st Century Means. Featuring a very ａｅｓｔｈｅｔｉｃ label design, this farmhouse ale was brewed with both buckwheat and rye and clocks in at a hefty 8.5%. Like many recent bomber offerings by Stillwater and friends, this was brewed in Denver, CO at Crazy Mountain Brewing Company.



Pouring a fairly dark chestnut brown (22-24 SRM when held up to light) with retentive off-white head measuring several fingers even after about 10 minutes in the glass and excellent tiered lacing, 21CM is an attractive looking brew, for sure. So far, so good with this one!

Nose is chock-full of rye, bold earthy and spicy hops and slightly rustic saison yeastiness with a small hint of toasted buckwheat and bready malt. Only slight ethanol is present which is surprising considering the strength of this offering, but the scent is quite crowded and forward so it definitely doesn't come off as wimpy by any means. A bit of lemon peel, white/pink peppercorn and sage/herbal elements as well. Overall, this comes together quite well.

The palate satisfies as well with intense spicy malt notes, peppery yeast and herbal dry-hop flavors, coinciding very nicely with a chewy feel and sudden, dry finish. Heavy initial body is made fluffy and welcoming thanks to the buckwheat and surprisingly pillowy malt backbone that succeeds somewhat in spite of the hefty rye inclusion. This is an incredibly well-put together beer with a whole canvas of superb elements coming together to deliver something much more than the sum of its parts (much like vaporwave itself, which is clearly the genre of music that inspired this beer's label and body copy and which I have been heavily getting into in the past few months, so much so that I've actually created an entire album influenced by it).

Of course I had to match the consumption of this beer with an album from the genre it was inspired by, so I present to you Vaperror's Polychromatic Compiler, a genius collection of footwork and vaporwave-influenced full-on electronic tracks that reminds me heavily of 90s video game soundtracks. If you're a fan of fun, playful electronic music, I highly recommend this release!

 

Hello, NBSers. Since I've ceased to exist anywhere that doesn't include MWK, I'm going to cram these two into one post. First up, this excellent APA from "The Region's" other world-class brewery.



Pours a golden copper color, nearly clear, with 2+ fingers of tan head. Aroma is the obligatory dankness imparted by the Mosaic hops, and the flavor follows the aroma - nearly all dankness, a very subtle malt taste.

Maybe it's because I think of Three Floyds when I drink 18th Street brews, but this reminds me of a Mosaic-hopped Zombie Dust. That is a very good thing, IMHO. Rated 4.33.

#2, this magnificent BA imperial stout.



Pours nearly jet black (lightens at the edges), with a couple of fingers of light tan head (and much lighter than you typically see in a BA imperial stout). The aroma is primarily dark fruit, with some chocolate aromas as well.

The taste, though, is very nuanced. The dark fruit is very present, and so is the chocolate, but the Trappist yeast that was used really elevates this, especially as it warms. The barrel comes forward, there's a little funk going on, the dark fruit and chocolate linger. I really am enjoying this. Well done by a world-class brewer. Rated 4.43.

 

The "nut" in "nut brown ale" is just a bit of poetry... having more to do with color than anything else. There are no nuts in the beer. American brewers on the other hand will literalize everything.

 

Samuel Smith's website describes it as "a relatively dry ale with rich nutty colour and palate of beech nuts, almonds and walnuts". As you say, no actual nuts are listed in the contents, but they are apparently trying for nut taste.

 

Haha. You can throw Ramstein in there too for me since I'm a big fan of German styles. I have access to an awesome liquor store 5 mins from where I work and I like to spend some of my lunch breaks browsing there, so that keeps my brewery trips down a bit. But the local scene has really improved so much in the last few years. I just went to Carton a few days ago for the first time in way too long and I'm already planning my next trip back before I've even finished my two 4-packs.

 

I have another new one (for me) from down South Jersey way-

Spellbound Pale Ale

Nose is a pleasant blend of citrus, stone fruits and pine- assertive, but not overly so. These characteristics carry over to the palate, although the citrus tends to take over due to the short crack of orange peel-like bitterness. Flavor has taken on more of an orange marmalade like quality, with some peach and plum hidden deeper down. Mid palate has just a hint of sweetness, but the finish is dry with lingering fresh pine needles. I'm really enjoying the moderately full, smooth mouthfeel and overall balance of flavor/bitterness/attenuation.

It's pretty straight-up as American Pale Ales go, but well-knit and quite enjoyable nonetheless. High B+ (3.85).

 

Good evening NBS, hope everyone is enjoying the end of the weekend once again. Thanks to @cavedave for getting us started today. Not much going on here, I still have plenty of new beers in queue after stocking up last weekend. New stuff keeps coming in weekly at my locals too. Work is pretty smooth and stable right now; but I am waiting on other departments to be able to finish some projects up. Been drinking a lot of sours and saisons lately. Jolly pumpkin seems to be releasing a new collab every month right now. Just got more Fantome today as well. Probably going to grab more Cascade later this week after having the Noyeux a few days ago.

New beers:

Very good pale lager. Nice head retention/lacing on the glass. Aromas and flavors of lemon, cracker, biscuit, and light honey; with moderate peppery, herbal, floral, grassy hops. Moderate herbal/spicy hop bitterness on the finish. Light-medium bodied; some light hop stickiness and grainy malt in the mouthfeel. Medium-high carbonation; very crisp and dry finish. Clean lagering with zero yeast presence. Very well balanced. Honestly the lemon really didn't come off as too particularly strong, kind of just blended in with the noble hop character. Really well done. Refreshing and flavorful for the session ABV. No tartness from the lemons at all. 3.78


Awesome! Fantastic head retention and thick lacing on the glass. Awesome clarity. Aromas and flavors of big grapefruit, tangerine, pineapple, peach, mango, melon, passion fruit, berry, lemon zest, orange peel, citrus rind, light pepper, and pine hops; with some light honey and lightly toasted bread malts; with herbal, floral, grassy hop earthiness. Large sized pine/rind/spicy bitterness; very crisp/sticky/resinous mouthfeel with lightly grainy/creamy malts. Light-medium bodied. Moderate increasing resinous dryness, with little/no hop astringency. I will require this again soon. You get an awesome range of balanced hop character. The juicy tropical/citrus of Citra/Amarillo to the spicy/piney/resinous of the Chinook. Love it! Very bright on the hop flavors; about 6 weeks old bottling. Impressive attenuation of the malt character/body for the ABV. 4.13


I added the beer last month, but I get to be the one to review it first too. Collab with Arizona Wilderness. Great saison! Aromas and flavors of big melon, pear, apple, white grape, orange peel, coriander, cardamom, peppercorn, and clove; with some toasted biscuit/light nutty malts; and herbal/woody/floral hops. Moderate peppery yeast spice and herbal bitterness on the finish; slight touch of tart/tangy note. Medium bodied with some balanced grainy creaminess and hop/yeast stickiness in the mouthfeel. Light-moderate dryness. Very drinkable. Not really sure if they used a house yeast from Arizona Wilderness on this, but the bottle did say it has spices from them. Does not have much of the "House" Fantome character I am familiar with; tastes more clean like a lab saison strain. Heavy on coriander/grains of paradise-like flavors. Still has it's own Fantome side with that malt backbone though. Really well done saison all around. Great collaboration. 4.1


Cheers, have a good night NBS

 

Great to see you enjoyed that one, and you definitely need to try more Weizenbocks! Get some Vitus or Aventinus next time- it's a fantastic rabbit hole to get lost in every now and then. I recently picked up some Victory Moonglow, myself, and that one can definitely hang with the big boys.

 

Ha. Indeed they are. Samuel Smith believes their own romance. (Fair game to call them out on it.)