New Beer Sunday (week 607)

Greetings All:

I picked up a Fall Sampler 12-pack this week, so I have new beers for 2 or 3 weeks anyway. Today in is the India Pale Lager from Leinenkugel. Man I hate trying to spell that name. ;-)

The beer is not bad. I'm not a big fan of hopped up lagers, but this one is well balanced.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/710/141751/

A rainy day here in the Columbia Basin, and no Seahawk Football. So the home brewery was in full swing, bottling a Holiday spiced porter brewed last month, and brewing a milk stout today. A little something for the winter months. But hoping for a few more fall days.

Until next time,

Happy Trails!

 

That was my last one otherwise I could help you out.
Yeah that one (and its Cherry sister) was released back in June I think it was? I got there towards the end of the day on the day it was released and they were out of the Cherry and probably sold out of that one by the time they closed. HM releases have reached the point where they are almost exclusively line-stravaganzaz at this point

 

Last one tonight from the MWK BIF box from @beerloserLI, this is my 2nd beer from Singlecut. Judging by these 2 beers (plus the LIC beer), I probably need to move to NYC. Sweet Jeebus.



I have pancakes and sausage in my future (Mrs. O is a keeper), so I'll make this a bit brief. This pours a brilliant straw color, semi-translucent, a finger of white head.

As my man @WesMantooth said earlier about TG Sosus, this is stanky - and that's a good thing, because the stanky is coming from a PNW hop profile that I'm guessing includes Mosaic hops. And the smell translates to the taste - loads of citrus and hemp. Look up "dank" in the dictionary, there's a picture of this beer.

Rated 4.44, @beerloserLI is the Tom Seaver of beer senders. Well done, Brian.

 

The Cramps?! Hell yeah I approve!

 

I really like Hermit Thrush and am awaiting the next canning of Farmhouse Tripel and Rowdy Monk...the two of their best offerings. Since you are in VT and might know more about these releases, please keep me informed!

 

Loved the label art!! Beauty...

 

Happy NBS everyone! It's been a long time since I have traded beer on this site, but I'm enjoying the plethora of reviews from everyone's BIF boxes. I'm also enjoying a return to NBS after a few weeks off. I picked up a nasty flu/virus a few weeks ago and the beer drinking has been very light since then, but I'm finally getting back on my game. Two weeks without beer wasn't fun (especially during Oktoberfest!) but sometimes a break can make you enjoy it even more when you come back to it. Let's just chalk it up to palate recalibration or something like that.

On a different note, today I'm celebrating the sale of my car that I've had for the past 10 years. Did a lot of driving in that thing (181,000 miles) and it treated me well so I was a little sad to see it go. But it's just a hunk of metal, right? Okay, on to the celebratory beer!

Boulevard Saison-Brett



2016 vintage. Best by date of Jan 2018, so this bottle has about 8-9 months on it. Enough time for the Brett to come out and show some muscle for sure.

First thing to note is the awesome appearance. Gold in color and hazy, but look at that head! What do you call it? Frothy? Rocky? Mountainous?! I don't know but I love it. Even with a slow pour the head was out of control and took a few minutes to die down.

The aroma is difficult for me to describe. The best I can come up with is earthy and funky. There is a faint lemon citrus quality to it that could be from the hops but it's hard to tell.

The flavor brings more earth and funk to the table. It's sharp and biting, yet incredibly drinkable. Finishes super dry with a lingering bitterness that stays with you even after the final sip.

This is a great beer and one that has been on my "wants" list for a long time. After 9 months in the bottle it's a total Brett showcase. Full of flavor and character yet light on the palate. The bottle was gone before I knew it. Cheers!

 

New Beer Sunday: A new Tripel hitter.

Evenin' NBSers, with special greetings to all those who enjoy a Tripel that touches most of the bases.

Weather here today was a mixed bag, with overcast skies and rain showers this morning. That all cleared out by early afternoon and left us with some sunshine to enjoy closing out the day.

This evening's new beer is the Beer to Drink Music To, a new this year Tripel from Dogfish Head. Not surprisingly, DFH has put their own spin onto this beer and it works well for me.

As usual my review, subject to change until 9 pm, can be found here:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/64/209097/?ba=drtth#review

I thought this was an interesting and enjoyable take on a Belgian Tripel with expected flavors and aromas of cardamom, orange peel, vanilla and peppery spice being delivered. While the Cardamon seems a bit heavy handed in a Tripel it is not unpleasant. But it is indeed a Tripel rather than a home run in that it won't ever replace La Fin du Monde and Westmalle Tripel which currently head the top of my list of "beers-to-have-again."

In keeping with my mood (The Eagles lost, and the way they lost....) and the music on the player. I've been listening to a bit of Roy Orbison before deciding if I want more football or more politics this evening.

Only the lonely.

Cheers, all!

 

Good evening NBS, hope everyone is enjoying the end of the weekend once again. Thanks to @utopiajane for getting us started off this week. I got a BIF box from @oline73 on Thursday, and have been picking away at the reviews for them. Today I am going to do all my reviews from that box, and will continue reviewing them at random until they are all gone. I've got a lot of other new beer along side of it that also needs reviewing, so it could be a few weeks.

I have been working via VPN for the past 3-4 hours here at home, and fixed most of what needed to be done so far. I am confident I will be able to publish the reports tomorrow. I am doing a favor for a fellow colleague since they are swamped due to benchmarking projects and stuff.

New beers:

Welp, I get to be the first ratebeer entry for this one. A usual trend for many of my own locals, but never out of state haha. This was delicious! Huge lasting head retention. It looked kind of thick on the pour, slow cascade of bubbles. Aromas and flavors of big grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, peach, pineapple, passion fruit, mango, papaya, citrus peel, and light pine hops; with moderate honey/bready malt sweetness; and herbal, floral, grassy hop earthiness. Light-moderate pine/herbal/grassy bitterness on the finish. Medium-full bodied with light-medium carbonation. Balanced malt creaminess and hop stickiness in the mouthfeel; touch of resins and slick/syrupy character as well. Fairly warming ABV finish, but not boozy. Lightly increasing dryness from sticky hop oil. No cloying sweetness or astringent lingering bitterness. Very well balanced. This felt like straight up hop juice in a glass. Certainly had a hefty malt presence from the lactose(as expected), but not overdone. Even with added citrus fruits, there was no tartness or anything either. Really delicious stuff! 3.93


Holy shit, wow!!! This is a massive stout. Truly motor oil looking pour with solid head retention and lacing. Not quite black color, but opaque. Aromas and flavors of HUGE milk chocolate, cocoa, molasses, caramel, vanilla, brown sugar, toffee, coffee, fudge, maple syrup, rum, bourbon, raisin, fig, plum, date, tobacco, and toasted oak. Light roast bitterness and oak spice on the finish to balances the sweetness. Massive as hell full body; super creamy, silky, slick, and rich mouthfeel; with no roast chalkiness, spicy barrel booze, or drying character. Zero cloying sweetness. Very minimal warming and absolutely zero booze @ 13.8%. Just downright incredible balance going on here between rum/bourbon barrel and the malt profile. Really tastes more like what I associate with Porter flavors. Not really all that roasty/charred as I expected(stout expectations); but holy crap the complexity is off the god damn map! 4.52


Excellent saison! This has a lot of Fantome vibe going on, IMO. Aromas and flavors of big lightly tart lemon, lime, orange, pineapple, peach, pear, green apple, white grape, peppercorn, and oak; with some light-moderate wheat/crackery malts; and hay, straw, musty funk and a hint of leather. Balanced spicy and tart/tangy finish. Light-medium bodied. Some balanced grainy wheat creaminess with light acidity in the mouthfeel. Crisp and refreshing. Well rounded yeast complexity. Solid oak and malt presence. Really delicious. Has nearly all of the funky/fruity notes I can associate with Fantome house character; but is less malty and more tart overall. Really great saison! 4.1


Cheers, have a good night NBS!

 

Dude, we had downpouring, pissing, standing under three showerheads at once rain yesterday. Give me 85 degrees, sunshine, and girls in summer dresses back. It's too soon for fleece and Gore-tex.

 

Okay- game is started, and it's time to get 'medicated' . Here is my 3rd, and final BIF beer of the evening, something pretty special-


Free Will Brown Beard- a rum barrel brown ale with coffee

A clean and potent coffee quality dominates the nose. Traces of rum, brown sugar and oak come up now and then, but it's really all about that coffee. First sip, however, brings a host of other flavors including dates, toffee, dark rum, chocolate cake, and coffee, naturally. It's a lot more nuanced and balanced than the aroma initially let on. The finish is long, toasty and woody. Mouthfeel is moderately full, and there is a gentle heat coming on from the alcohol. This is a great dessert beer, and I'm enjoying it quite a bit. A- (4.0).

Big thanks to @jhartley again, but also @beertunes and @LehighAce06 for all of their work in organizing such a perpetually fun event! Can't wait for the next one! Cheers, all!

 

Yeah, apparently @woemad forgot about this thread: https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/holy-mountain-midnight-still.388876/

 

Spent most of the day with some "honey do" tasks, but back now after dinner with another fine offering thanks to @smanson56 including some excellent new glassware.

This is Burlington Beer's It's Complicated to be a Wizard. My first from this brewery. New beer, new brewery, new glass. It's all good, right?

When I first popped the top, I got some nice whiffs of tropical fruits, and the piney notes became more prominent as it warmed. Flavors are a nice blend of grapefruit and pineapple with a caramel bready malt base. Finish is lightly bitter. Very nice DiPA and looking forward to checking out some other beers from Burlington. Review referenced below.

On a separate note, I'm really digging the new glass. It reminds me a bit of a brandy snifter. I need to test it out with a BA stout or barleywine...



https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/33136/156715/?ba=richj1970#review

 

pish tosh. It was steady sure, but I would not call it heavy by any means. I mean, maybe in fits and spurts, but for most of the afternoon and evening, at least while I was conscious, it was just some good ol' precipitation. Which we still need after the last couple of dry years.


But I can certainly agree with the sundress advocacy, though 85 is too hot for me, especially if I'm trying to sleep!

 

Seems to be the new status quo around here, much to my lament. I can't blame the brewery for it, and good on them for making beers that are of sufficient quality to warrant such attention, but it is not the side of this hobby that speaks positively to me, and as such, I am content to drink their stuff on tap and just skip out on bottles for the most part. Oh well, another stitch between the world as we idealize it and the veil as it is.

 

Here are a few more from @smanson56's box that I didn't wait for Sunday to consume...

The first had a small puncture wound when I was unpacking Friday night. Not wanting to waste any beer, I held my finger over the hole, and hunted down a glass. Even at room temp, I can tell this is a world class beer. Fortunately, I have another can, and will review later.



I cracked open a Heady Topper yesterday. I was fortunate to have tried this during the last BiF but based on this can, I upped my rating. A truly excellent beer,



This is an excellent box and am enjoying working my way through it...

 

Happy New Bomber Beer Sunday!

I spent last Sunday reviewing the Glutenberg series & by the time that I was finished, I was finished! I realize that I am not the intended audience for G-F beers, but by the time I ran through them, I was ready for a beer! Know what I mean? The only thing was, I still had two more G-F beers in abeyance, but both were 22-fl. oz. bombers & I could not open them & do them justice. I had some other bombers also awaiting my attention, so I began with:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/652/138576/?ba=woodychandler#review to close out my participation in the #PumpkinChallenge2016, a local bragging-rights competition.

I also had this big boy hanging around, so I drank it next:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/24798/86622/?ba=woodychandler#review

and then I knocked out the last two G-F beers that I own:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/22893/79962/?ba=woodychandler#review & https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/28862/140851/?ba=woodychandler#review

I think that will do it for me here this week. I make no promises re. next Sunday as Th' Stillers game is blacked-out locally & I will have to go elsewhere to watch it. This may preclude my involvement. Sorry.

I almost forgot to mention that tomorrow is CANada's Thanksgiving, so I will be celebrating with a day of both CANadian bottles & CANs, should anyone be interested.

 

No bullshit, it was like a faucet. It was either pouring November rain style, or it stopped for a few, then started up again. I got soaked, dried up, and got soaked again 3 different times while setting up events and toting kegs yesterday. Screw it. Already.

 

Woodman, what we gotta do to get you involved in the next NBS BIF? Bribes?

 

I made the decision to reach once again into the box from @superspak , and I'm happy with my choice : https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/32587/241411/ . Although, I gotta go google Moon Tower.