New Beer Sunday (week 608)

It's been a few weeks but I'm back (looking at you @2beerdogs).
Thanks to @cavedave for starting us off and @utopiajane for wonderful post as usual.
Was deciding which beer to drink today, but when I saw Dragon's Milk was bottled on 10/16/15 it was a no-brainer
New Bourbon-Barrel Stout Sunday
New Holland Dragon's Milk


3.98/5 rDev +0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle into Libbey Tulip
Bottled on 10/16/15 (a year to the day)
L- dark black with an inch thick tan foamy head, great retention, real beautiful lacing
S- a huge whiff of bourbon, along with fudge, black licorice
T- dark roasted malts with the bourbon along for the ride, slight marshmallow on the linger, with a finish of a black licorice
F- medium bodied, low carbo., smooth drinking for 11% ABV with only slight booze bite
O- great BBA Stout, with the added plus of being avail. all year-round

Cheers!

 

Pretty much the same here for me with my blind comparisons. Part of what made the decanted version better for me was the "clarity" and "cleanness" of the flavors. With the yeast in the beer its a bit like going to a live concert and putting on ear muffs. Things are still there in the second half but it's more "cloudy," both visually and taste wise.

 

Hey NBS regulars! Been awhile since I've posted in here but I went into Maui brewing to fill up a growler and saw this beer that caught my eye.
Maui Brewing Co - Liquid Breadfruit Imperial Golden Ale


I was surprised to see that this beer is already on BA and even more surprisingly that I actually gave it a rating! I'm usually very good about remembering past beers but this one must have been very forgettable as the ratings would suggest. I'm sure they must have revamped and tweaked the old recipe because this one tastes much better than the old ranking I had. Here's my thoughts...

4.14/5 rDev +20%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

For a golden ale it poured a surprisingly dark amber color with not much head to speak of. A tiny bit of lacing and some head that lingers in the middle of the beer. Smell is funky! I pick up some breadfruit, tart apple, spice, and almost a pumpkin like smell. I couldn't detect any papaya on the nose and it isn't in the taste either. I'm getting mostly a malty breadfruit with a nice oktoberfest spice in the background (I really don't know how to describe the spice but it completely reminds me of the Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest). This is a bit more toned down than I expected which might be a good thing if any of you have eaten breadfruit before. For 8.2% this really drinks quite thick and is more of a sipper. Overall I can't say I would buy this beer again. It was 20 bucks for the bottle and I was really expecting more bold flavors. The description made it sound like a complex and odd beer and the smell delivered but the taste wasn't anything special.

 

Couple pops while watching a little football.
Both of these tasty brews are from the NBS BIF, sent by @strohme2
Bit short on my review since I'm posting from my phone.

Great easy drinking hoppy brew. Pours straw colored, clear, frothy white head.
Aroma is resiny pine, grapefruit rind, and bit of malt.
Residual malt sweetness balanced by piney hops and some citrus zest.
Moderate carbonation and smooth medium body. Lacing clings to the glass.
Overall a nice brew. Good brew to sit back, drink, repeat.

Second brew is:

This one has a big bitter bite of grapefruit rind and zest. Mouthfeel is super smooth, coats the tongue. Light copper colored, thin foamy head lasts.

 

It's a style I'm intrigued by, though to date I've only had one (Big Time's Old Sol), so I can't really say I've a lot of experience with them.

 

Same reaction here to the Tart Plum and the Lyric ale. Their IPA came in at third place.

One thing also impressive about Orpheus is that they launched with the Atalanta as one of their flagship beers and didn't add the IPA into their line up until fairly well established.

 

I see why Atalanta was a flagship when they launched, probably will have to IPA soon.

 

I think I had this at GABF many years ago (well, four if I recall correctly). For some odd reason I recall it was a collaboration with DFH. I figured it was one and done (and it is retired in this DB, I see).

Backstory aside, I recall really enjoying it. Still not likely to see it on my far end of the country, but I'd snap it up if I saw it to see if my memory is sound .

 

This Other Half-Stillwater Artisinal Ales collaboration is Rockstar Farmer. It is pitched as a farmhouse session IPA. It indeed matches all noted characteristics. The pour is hazy to cloudy with a 3 cm fluffy head. The sticky foam persists throughout the draught. The aromas are lemony hops and Brett funk. The brew packs a lot of flavor into a low a.b.v. (4.5%) offering. The citrus and stone-fruit hop notes are well-backed by a very crisp malt bill and the Brett flavor adds added interest. The finish is a bit dry. This is a unique and truly superb mix of elements.

 

Honestly I liked the '13 logo design better, but '14 was when I participated, so...

 

Another NBS already? Damn, the weeks are just flying by!

This past week was an ordeal in part due to the hurricane in the southern US shutting down one of the main branches of the VA's mail-order pharmacy (which meant we took on some additional work up in New England at the NE CMOP, where I work out of) and in part due to the federal holiday this past Monday (one I'm not a huge fan of in the first place, mind you), both of which, in tandem, caused us to have over 100,000 prescriptions to process on Tuesday morning. With some overtime, we managed to take care of the brunt of the work (and eventually, Charleston ended up coming back up towards the end of the week, taking some of their work back), but it was overall very stressful and I'm quite glad it's over. Therefore, I'm relaxing on this Sunday with some new beers I'd like to share with you and hoping for a less-rocky upcoming week of work!

First up is Hidden Cove Brewing Co.'s Rosso d'Oro, a new entry into their "Italian series" of barrel-aged ales. I've been a big fan of HC's barrel program for a while now, and I'm always excited to see what Kevin and Richard come up with up in Wells, Maine. This one is a Belgian golden ale aged in Aglianico barrels and dry-hopped with Calypso and Belma hops. With me not being very familiar with the subtler designations of wines, especially Italian grape varietals and their more nuanced qualities, I had to do a bit of research on this one to see what the aim was.

Aglianico is a dark grape grown mostly in Campania (where these barrels were acquired from) and Basilicata. Apparently the original Pliny the Elder(!) was very fond of this varietal. The more you know, eh? This type of wine is well-suited for aging and can sometimes be blended with more common styles such as Merlot and Cab Sav, as it tends to be very tannic when young.

In any case, back to the beer at hand! The cage on this one was very, very tight as is usual with Hidden Cove's 16.9 oz barreled offerings, so it took a few mighty turns before I was able to get to the cork, which popped with vivacity and promised a deep, complex and, of course, well-carbonated beer underneath.



This beer pours a pretty heady, beautiful golden color with near-total opacity and some yeast/hop particulates floating freely within. Surprisingly, after the initial rush of carbonation, this seems rather modestly carbed. Most of HC's barrel-treated stuff is very effervescent, so that's interesting to me. The huge foamy head sinks to a retentive finger after a few minutes in my glass, leaving behind a chunky tier of lace that drips slowly downwards. Very interesting appearance. The dry-hopping no doubt helped it acquire some interesting, picturesque lace.

Nose is funky and tannic, with some bright raspberry, grape and barnyard notes that play pretty well into my preconceptions of what to expect from a wine barreled HC beer. Light florals and wet hay, as well. Definite Brett going on here. Pretty much all of HC's non-core lineup and/or rotating beers have some element of Brett funk going on, and I've always liked that they don't in any way shy away from the complexity Brett can bring. This seems like it could be a bit tart, but my experience with prior funky beers from this brewery indicates that not everything is exactly as it seems from first impressions.

The flavor is dry and chewy, with a definite Brett aspect that manifests as a fruity and funky, playful semi-sour element that puts this in the realm of "American wild ale", very much in a similar sense to the "-ation" series of oak barrel beers from Russian River. In fact, I'd say that HC's barrel program most resembles RR's, most consistently anyway, out of all barreled beers I've ever had. This brings out some redcurrant and raspberry flavors with slight acidic hoppiness and some pear-like notes, to boot. Apparently, Calypso hops can impart that sort of flavor, in addition to "an overt kick of dried apple [...] and citrus." Interesting, for sure. Belma is another weird one, though HC followers will recall that they recently put out a dry-hopped pale ale called Compadre that utilizes only these bizarre new hops. It's said to have honeydew melon/cantaloupe flavors, and also some berry notes in there as well. I definitely get the latter on the tongue, as I mentioned. The Belgian yeast kicks up some unique esters and there's a defined chalkiness to the palate here as well. For only a 6% beer, this really brings out some unique and incredibly challenging flavors that seem to work well together to me in the end. It's been really fun following these beers, and I'm happy they're now distributed so I don't have to take a trip an hour and a half away every time I see that they're releasing one! Cheers!

Currently finishing up listening to a favorite from this year that I recently purchased from Bandcamp. This band is very new and poised to do great things... if this is their debut, I can't wait to hear what they come up with next! Imagine Kyuss, Ocean Chief and Ufomammut having a three-way stoner doom/bluesy doom metal baby and you'd be somewhat close to what this sounds like! Awesome, trippy, angry, anxious, psychedelic stuff. ALL HAIL THE MIGHTY LLUNG!



https://llung.bandcamp.com/releases

 

Time to get all simian with my next one compliments of @Dragginballs76 and the generous plethora of goodies he sent. This just seems like a great choice on a cloudy and humid day with a dew point of 66 that is more reminiscent of August, but I'm not complaining.

Let's pop the crown on a 5.5% abv. 500ml bottle of Wicked Weed Brettaberry with a bottle date of 7.01.16 and pour this blackberry, blueberry, strawberry, honey brett farmhouse ale in the cool glass that came with the haul.

Pours a cloudy dark pink with a lively finger of pinkish foam. Smell is tart blueberry, strawberry and the band aid I get from brett beer. The taste is a medley of tart berries with blueberry taking center stage, followed by strawberry and perhaps those blackberries listed on the label last. The band aid emerges next along with a slightly sweet finish from the honey. Feel is light, fizzy and tart with a dash of mouth coating honey.



A very enjoyable funky fruit beer with my only minor disappointment being that I wished it had more fruit. That aside, this a quality easy drinking and refreshing liquid that I would definitely recommend to lovers of the funky fruit. Thank you again Michael for another winner! I've been impressed with what I've had from Wicked Weed. My score is 4.15 / rDev +1.5%.

Time to take the thinking cap off and enjoy some mindless brews and see if the Bears can slip farther down in next year's draft. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday and new beers! Here's the scorecard....

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30581/181862/?ba=Prager62#review

 

A new Saison from Tired Hands courtesy of @larryi86

Sticky Drippy Crystals has a golden orange color with a 1 finger white head that fades into a collar and leaves behind small spotty lacing. Tart, yeasty, and funky with some citrus on the nose. Flavor is sweet and tart with some funk. I can taste the honey along with lemon and some wine notes. Feel is lighter, dry and sticky with a fizzy carbonation, Excellent Saison.

 

Live review from Lagunitas Chicago!

This is Willett Whiskey Barrel Aged Imperial Stout.
Deep dark,almost black. Smooth whiskey and coffee, vanilla and wood notes on the nose. Chocolatey, marshmallow fluff and coconut, some coffee, whiskey and barrel notes. Really an amazing beer. So smooth and drinkable.

 

Back from the birthday festivities and on to my next beer from @jhavs. This time I am trying Broken Spoke from Alchemist. I really enjoyed the hop flavor in this one, I was not expecting as much hop flavor as this thing packs.

Appearance 4 - Pours slightly hazy yellowish color with a pretty decent white head that eventually completely recedes but leaves a very coating lacing around the glass.

Smell 4.25 - The first thing that hits me is the straw/hay smell, bready and slightly fruity with some grapefruit and a hint of pine.

Taste 4 - The Amarillo hops are noticeable right off, also getting some mild grapefruit, straw, very earthy flavor.

Feel 4 - It has a fairly light feel, very clean and crisp and not very dry.

Overall 4.07 - A great beer, the hops really stand out in this one, great feel very clean.

 

New Barleywine Sunday



Bosque Barleywine

Eagles, man. I don't know.

So, following an amazing wheatwine from @foundersasap in NBS BIF #4, I'm going with my last bottle from NBS BIF #3 -- a barleywine courtesy of @ONovoMexicano.

Bosque's BBA Jet Black Winter was one of the most surprising and pleasurable sippers in any box I've yet to receive. Barleywine ain't quite in the league, but is at least keeping my buzz going strong.

This one is pumpkin orange with almost two fingers of tan-tinted head that leaves thick lacing.

It's got a big, malty aroma with baseball-mitt leather, pumpkin pie spices (cloves, ginger, allspice, mace) and a sweet, squash-like twang to it.

These elements continue in the taste, with more of a caramel characteristic to the malt, and a strong spicy, piney, herbal hop bitterness added to the mix, as well as a kiss of alcohol. The bitterness lingers in the aftertaste.

It's medium bodied, slightly viscous, with decent carbonation. Definitely an American version, and not exactly my thing. Still very much appreciate the opportunity to have tried it.

If you're on the fence about NBS BIF #5, just pull the trigger and give it a shot. You'll be glad you did.

Enjoy your Sunday evenings, BAs.

 

Osktoberfest on draft at the OB brewery in NC.

Darker amber color, heavy caramel aroma. Minimal head.
A little too malty for me. Maybe better if it had more carbonation.
Going to Dales on Nitro after this.

 

Another new one for me from Whiner

More musty and earthy than malty but has a nice rustic quality. Not sure of the yeast they used but has a little bit of funkiness that gives it a nice character. Large head dissipated quickly in a way they reinforces the rustic quality. Close enough where I need to get down to their tasting room.

 

Aww 'ight NBS-ers, I'm back for another entry! So many choices it was hard to make up my mind, until Terry told me that 2 of the bottles he sent me from Boundary Bay were about 2 weeks old!
So of course my decision making was made a little bit easier!


Boundary Bay IPA

Poured from a 22 oz. bottle into a shaker pint. No visible date on the bottle.

Appearance: Deep orange-amber-golden body with a finger's worth of head from a semi-aggressive pour.

Aroma: Smells like orange juice spike with serano peppers. Plenty of citrus coming out the glass as well.

Taste: This one isn't easy for me to put my finger on...it's almost like a backwards IPA. Smooth malt-like sweetness up front and a bitter bite on the end. It's not bad, just different.

Mouthfeel: Medium mouthfeel and it does have a lingering bitterness, probably due to the fact of the hops coming in at the end, rather than coming in on the front end. Very little carbonation.

Overall: A decent easy drinking IPA, again probably due to those malts coming in first. Not mind blowing, but still very tasty.

Cheers!

 

I went to a restaurant where you eat in complete darkness and had a Delerium Tremens. It was crazy! If I didn't know what it was I don't think I would have guessed it. It was like a totally different beer.