New Beer Sunday (week 611)

What was?

Cheers!

 

Great write up...but what were ya drinkin'? Did I miss something?

 

Robinsons Trooper Red 'N' Black

As I tend to do, I think I'll talk more about context rather than the specific beer.

UK beer has become severely under-represented here in the US. It's criminal. The import keystones are still around, but the supporting players feel like they've gone missing. It doesn't seem like it was too long ago that you could buy a Robinsons beer that didn't have Eddie on it. I guess I'm really just thinking of Old Tom and its variants... which I never really cared for though. When Trooper was released, I seem to remember reading that sales were fantastic. This led to Trooper in a can, Trooper T-shirts, Trooper glasses, Trooper 666... and now Trooper Porter.

I can't blame Robinsons for sticking with success (and I mean nothing against the beers or Maiden) but it's a shame that this seems to be the only off-road these days.

It feels like it has been a long while that I've had a bottled UK brew besides Fullers ESB. I do have Harveys, Kernel and Meantime beers waiting for me to open them though.

The recipe of this beer ties into the name via the combination of chocolate and crystal malt.

The first sip flaunts that signature English yeast contribution. There's nothing else like it. The bottle claims that it contributes honey and liquorice notes. To me, it's more of a fruity, dark berry quality. Why is this so unique? Are Americans simply not trying? Do they not have access to the same conditions? Is the oxidation from the voyage overseas influencing things so greatly and uniquely that a US beer will never realistically replicate this? I don't know, but the differences feel much bigger than the differences between US replicas of Belgian or German beers.

The first taste of this beer also feels quite stale... not really oxidized, but I'm not sure how else to describe it. The beer is super thin. That first taste is actually off-putting, but when I continue to gulp it, it gets better and better. When I take a brake and have a bite of food, it goes right back to off-putting, and then eventually hits great again. You really have to stay with this beer to enjoy it.

The yeast and malt make it feel a bit like a raspberry chocolate cake - not in a US craft beer liquid-cake way, but rather, a subtle and watery reference. As long as I didn't pause while drinking it, I enjoyed this beer.

 

I guess one more. That Montgomery Horseman went down way too easy. So the next new beer is Surlyfest from Surly Brewing. I'd like to give you a picture, but Photobucket is being annoying and not uploading.

This beer is another unique beer. The favors are different, to me, than the standard Oktoberfest beer, and it is damn good.

Review

4.33/5 rDev +7.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

This pours a darker amber color. The head was fairly thick 3 finger, and it does last for a while. The nose is very rich smelling, since I'm not the best at figuring out what is on the nose, I can't describe it, beyond delicious. The taste of this beer is at first somewhat bland, but that lasts for a second before the flavor hits. The second sip is the same way. I do get a bit of hops, when it does hit. This is a rich beer, and a good offering from Surly.

★ 459 characters

Ok, that is it for tonight. See you all next Sunday.

 

No beer sucks.
Thank you for your service!

 

I concur.

 

Phenomenal Pic as Always, Jim!!!

 

BA Ten Fiddy?!?! What?!? Will now I'm ISO of that one.

 

You should be seeing it in California. Best bet is to check stores where you've seen regular Fidy and other Oskar Blues selections. Watch for the stovepipe 19.2oz cans and expect to pay $12+.

 

Did he mention "hit points" or am I just outta touch?

 

Good evening NBSers my new beer for tonight is from Samuel Adams Fall Variety Pack
New Bock Sunday
Samuel Toasted Caramel Bock



3.69/5 rDev +1.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 4

12oz bottle into PP Glass
BB 2/2016
L- pours a dark amber with a tan head
S- cola, vanilla
T- sweet rich malt taste, followed by toffee, molasses, with somewhat of a spicy finish with caramel finally showing up
F- thick and syrupy with a carbonation tingle
Overall an interesting brew that despite not having any over the top characteristics keeps bringing me back for another sip

Cheers!

 

Good Evening Late Night NBS
Well, as I mentioned earlier, I have been the recipient of so much NBS generosity. Here is another beauty from @jhavs .
Broken Spoke by the famed Alchemist
4.16/5 rDev -1.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Alchemist hazy. Golden orange in hue. Frothy 2 fingers of cloudy white firm foam.
Smell ranges from the initial hop bitter to citrus, to a tad of mango, to some bread malt, followed by a bit of piney dank.
Taste goes further. Definitely tropical meets floral citrus, but a consistent play with the malt base and the smooth weediness is quite nice. Finish is more piney side of weediness. A bit resiny. So good.
Mouthfeel is active and medium bodied.
Overall, a solid APA.

 

Good evening, all, and Happy New Doppelbock Sunday! Thanks to @utopiajane for that amazing review to open today's festivities. The beer before you this evening is Maximator, from Augustinerbräu München. Poured cold from an 11.2-ounce bottle into whatever kind of glass this is. Maximator what I'd describe as a fully integrated beer. That is, the appearance, aroma, and taste all suggest the same thing: dark, caramelly malt. There is not much bitterness to speak of. The flavor profile is pretty typical of the doppelbocks I've tried, with notes of prune and raisin along with dark bread and caramel. I was impressed with this on first sampling it, when it was cold. As it warmed from fridge temp, though, the aftertaste became cloyingly sweet and heavy. I don't expect a crisp and dry finish from a beer of this style, but this left a little too much on the palate. Overall, a very good beer that is better cold and a great pairing with cheese and fatty meats.


4.14/5 rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Prosit!

 

I'm glad I don't.

 

Oh My God!!! <Screaming like a 12 year old girl who just saw Justin Bieber at the mall>

Again, thanks to @jhavs I have now tasted Crusher from The Alchemist. A truly transcendent experience...

4.65/5 rDev +3.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I need to start with the smell due to the fact that my olfactory was aroused upon the popping of the tab. Yes, before I even saw the golden, new penny in sunlight hue, I was drawn in. A melange of citrus and resinous hops with subtle bready notes swept me off my feet. The taste followed much the same path. But the malt really kept it all together. The hops are bold but really stay together. A glorious beer.
Mouthfeel is slightly full, carbonation stays for the whole ride, and damn. It's a true beauty.
Overall, I think I'm in love.

 

Sorry.. my excuse is: Ignorance, and for that.. I have no excuse.

I didn't even know what NBS stood for until I read your post, and started going backwards to find out where I missed something.. Got invited to the Christmas party by mistake. Who knew?

Founders - Mosaic Promise: Smells great. I didn't like the 1st drink (Grapefruit - not a fan). I did like the 2nd and 3rd drinks more, as my taste buds adjusted to the nose. I did like each drink thereafter.. which seems to be more of my tastes adjusting and adapting.

Founders - All Day IPA: First drink...LOVED IT! It's mild, yet has a little bite that I can & will definitely get into.

 

Finally getting around to trying this one, after two years(!) of seeing it on the shelves and saying "I should try that at some point" every time it's in season...



Yep, it's Kilt Flasher from Devil's Backbone, their Scotch Ale/Wee Heavy. Not a style I have very often, but that's pretty much entirely due to there not being all that many of them available most of the time -- seems like most of them are seasonal?

...and there's the Oktoberfest Duck watching from the background... his beers are already gone from my fridge (had my last Sam Adams Octoberfest the other night, and the most recent Sierra Nevada 12-pack has been gone for a while now) but he's still sticking around for now, I guess.

Anyway, on to the beer. It's a very dark red-brown in color, very clear and with several streams of little bubbles rising from the bottom (though I need to shine a flashlight through to really see that, due to how dark the color is.) Thin but persistent layer of tan-ish foam on top. Smell is smoky and malty with a sweetness faintly there in the background -- pretty nice. Taste is a bit milder than I had expected based on the smell but also has a bit more going on in the way of different flavors popping in, it seems -- there's definitely that smoky thing from the smell, though not quite as prominently, along with sweet-ish malt and a bit of a woody thing noticeable right away. Surprisingly light and drinkable for 8% ABV, and I'm not really noticing any alcohol flavors or much warmth (a teeny bit in the back of my throat and stomach after a couple of good-sized sips, but not the really noticeable mouth-warming I get from some beers in the 8%+ range.) Noticing a bit of a nutty thing mixing in with the other flavors now, at around the halfway point of the glass.

This is pretty nice! Glad I picked up the six-pack when I saw them. Only just now noticing that the bottled-on date is October 13th, so these are less than a month old -- wonder how age will affect it? I know the higher-ABV Scotch Ales do seem to have pretty long lifespans from what I've seen (I think a bottle of Skull Splitter I had last year had a best by of sometime in mid/late 2017?), so I figure it can't hurt to try.

 

Cool. We like sharing about the beers here. I agree with you regarding some Mosaic beers being overly strong in the grapefruit direction. Come on back next Sunday.

PS. I love the avatar/name.

 

At the very least, they both have exceptional labels ! I mean, come on! A Scottish terrier throwing up devil horns, and an almost perfect representation of Dolf Lundgren as He-Man !?!?