New Beer Sunday (week 613)

Thank you, Maria, for the rousing start.
Your review certainly sets a high bar. I love your writing.

I am drinking Chaga Stout from Lone Pine Brewing Company in Portland, Maine. This is a stout brewed with chaga mushrooms. I learned that the chaga mushroom (Latin name Inonotus obliquus) is a parasite that grows on birch and other trees. Rich in antioxidants, it is supposed to have medicinal properties. However, there have been no clinical trials conducted to assess chaga's safety and efficacy for disease prevention, or for the treatment of cancer, cardiovascular disease, or diabetes.

Lone Pine says on the label "whole chaga is carefully infused into this American stout to provide earthy bitterness and spicy vanilla."

The beer itself is dark brown with some red peeking through. There is a tiny tan head.
Nice aroma of roasted malt, vanilla, and spice.
Chocolate and coffee taste. Vanilla. Noticeable spice. Earthy, piney hops
Medium-bodied.
A little too spicy for me

 

What is your favorite combination of hop varieties?

So, here is the story:

My wife went with me to the 2015 National Homebrewers Conference (NHC) in San Diego. One of the aspects of the NHC is the exhibitor room where vendors display their goods: brewing equipment, brewing ingredients, etc. They also give out some swag as part of the marketing/sales effort. My wife loves to pick up stuff like labels, pins, sunglasses,… but during her ‘shopping spree’ this time she also collected some good stuff: dry yeast packets, hops (pellet hops), etc. I have had two ounces of Azacca hops that she obtained in my freezer for the past year and I said to myself: Jack, time to use those hops. But how?

Last spring I bought a six-pack of Founders Azacca IPA. I thought it was just an OK beer but my wife liked it. I am guessing that she drank five of those beers and I had one. This commercial beer drinking experience was not ‘inspiring’ for me.

Well, since I only had two ounces of Azacca hops a ‘lightbulb’ went off: let’s combine these hops with another variety(s). But which other variety(s)? The only other commercial beer that I had which used Azacca was Victory Hop Ranch which is a DIPA brewed using Azacca and Mosaic hops. But here is the rub, I was not a fan of Victory Hop Ranch. I have twice purchased this beer (on subsequent years) and this beer had a dank quality that I did not like.

After a bit of thought I decided to follow the mantra of “damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead” and brew an Azacca/Mosaic IPA. In my homebrewing experience Mozaic hops can be very powerful so I made a conscious decision to use more Azacca than Mosaic in a 2:1 ratio.

How did this beer turn out?

Served in my Spiegelau IPA glass:

Appearance:

Light golden colored with a bit of haze accompanied with a fluffy white head.

Aroma:

A wonderfully complex set of fruity aromas; some berry fruits, some tropical fruits, some citrus, some…

Taste:

The flavor very much follows the nose with a complex set of fruity flavors; some berry fruits, some tropical fruits, some citrus, some… The malt backbone is just enough to provide a sense of balance. There is a notable bitterness.

Mouthfeel:

Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. A dry-ish finish.

Overall:

This beer is very tasty.


Of the various types of IPAs I have brewed my wife’s favorite is my Centennial IPA but she really enjoyed this IPA as well. I suspect that Centennial IPA is 1A and this Azacca/Mosaic IPA is 1B.

Hopefully some commercial breweries will produce some Azacca/Mosaic beers in the future.

Cheers!

@SFACRKnight @rotsaruch @RobH @KOP_Beer_OUtlet @telekunkie

 

Good morning New BSers! Maria, as usual, an excellent introduction, with an acceptable alliterative assertiveness. Yes indeed, Turkey Day is approaching low and fast. Once again Mrs. Lizard and I will be spending the day at her brother's place, surrounded by extended family, most of whom we don't know. After the sacrificial turkeys are consumed, the males will adjourn to the living room to watch footBaal through their eyelids, the females will claim the dining room for card and board games, and I'll try to find a quiet place to read and/or sleep (My car). The only people to drink non-BMC will be my brother-in-law and me. Lots of cans of Rolling Rock will be recycled Thursday, but not by the two of us.

Now that I can again taste and smell what I consume, it's back to new beers on Sunday and to the porch bomb with which @Josholson666 busted my bunker for NBS BIF #4.



Received from @Josholson666 in NBS BIF#4
Undated 16 oz can at 42 degrees into a hand washed and dried JK snifter
Aroma – citrus, lasts
Head average (Maximum 2.5 cm, aggressive pour), off white, creamy. Diminishes to an irregular one to three mm ring and thin partial layer
Lacing – fair. Partial rings of tiny to small bubbles
Body – light orange, cloudy, some effervescence.
Flavor – Begins citrusy. Having never had yuzu, I can’t say that’s what I taste, but I certainly don’t recognize the flavor. It ends with a bit of bitterness around the periphery of the mouth. No malt, no alcohol, no diacetyl.
Palate – medium, slightly oily, lively carbonation

Appearance 3.5, Aroma 4.25, Flavor 4.25, Palate 4, Overall 4. Rating 4.13. rDev + 10.1%

 

That 'title' sounds familiar somehow!?!

Cheers!

 

I'll beermail you my can't miss Thanksgiving recipe

 

Miss those Captain Lawrence brews!

Cheers!

 

Thanks for getting it started today Maria @utopiajane ! I will be back later with a beer (or two ) from @beertunes ! Soooo much delicious beer in my fridge right now....I am saving a couple for Thursday! My annual viewing of Planes, Trains and Automobiles with a specially selected beer before Thanksgiving.

See y'all later....Cheers!

 

No onions Jack? Thats all I get from mosaic. Looks good, what yeast?

 

So not a very original name, but what ever. Poured slowly at near room temperature bottled on 11/07/16. Pours a very attractive near black with a massive 2 finger light brown head that leaves beautiful foamy rings of lace behind . 4.75 Smell is roasty dry coffee grounds , vanilla bean, some chipotle, cocoa nibs, cinnamon, nutmeg, a hint of smoke and sweet pipe tobacco. Reminds me a lot of Stone Xocoveza. 4.25 Taste follows nicely roasty coffee, some spicy smokeyness, cocoa, cinnamon nutmeg, tobacco, and vanilla. 4.25

Mouthfeel is a solid creamy medium, moderate carbonation and it works wonderfully, a little dry, and excellent drinkability, but it drinks bigger than its 7.4% ABV. 4.5

Overall this is a very nice stout, definitely has some wintery spices and smoke, but very well balanced and for DFH fairly subdued and that is a compliment . 4.25

 

Cold and gray with our first forecast for flurries overnight (it probably won't happen or amount to anything if it does, but its still awesome). Thanksgiving pending, a favorite holiday of mine (because, food), and plenty of football on tap (hey, where's the morning game? Oh, Mexico tonight? I'm sure Trump'll put an end to that nonsense, eh? lol )...

New Metallica album dropped last week, Game of Thrones season 6 released, and this new brew, a collaboration between Stone and Heavy Seas, showed up in one of my stores...

Ah, I do love morning beer...

9% abv imperial brown ale featuring blackstrap molasses...

Nice rich brown bread malt flavors sweetened with delicious molasses; accents of deep, dark citrus, earthy and herbal; medium body, smooth and lean, ample carbonation, mild bitterness... already looking forward to that second pour...

Cheers, NBS - here's to new beer in your glass...

 

Howdy, NBSers!

The “cold” has finally hit us here in the Brazos Valley. “Cold” for me, a native Texan used to 100-plus heat indices, is when I can see my breath fog up outside at night. That’s lower 40s/upper 30s, which, yeah, that’s not “cold” for most, but like I say … born and bred Texan here. If you can’t wear shorts and T-shirts in it, then it’s “cold”.

I should’ve bought this 32 oz. half-growler two years ago. Between working at the salt mine and watching my Bearkats clinch the Southland title yesterday, I got it filled with Community’s Yessir!, an American pale ale made with Eureka, Lemondrop and Citra hops.




This batch of Yessir! comes from the good people at Harvey Washbanger’s, our laundromat/sports bar/craft beer spot that has about 7-8 taps and fills growlers and is super awesome and friendly. I was hoping they had tapped the new roasted poblano pepper IPA from Conroe’s Southern Star, but I lucked into what may be my new favorite Texas-brewed grapefruit bomb.

The hops in this sucker are popping, big juicy grapefruit citrusy hops that are super sweet in the nose and more bitter and earthy in the flavor. The thing kind of reeks of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale but with more hop and less malt flavor. The malt kind of “feels” as much as tastes, though I think it’s adding a lot of sweetness in the nose. One might also call these hops piney or even green and grassy with just a hint of onion in the aftertaste, but whatever you call them, they seem to be very fresh and are definitely yummy -- I want to say it’s a nice little facsimile of Lone Pint’s Yellow Rose, but that just means I like it because I say that about all the American pales I like.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30949/222862/?ba=Premo88#review
4.94 (+12.3% rDev)

It would’ve been a clean 5 across the board but it doesn’t have the true 5 look … not enough lacing … standards are a bitch.

Hope you’re enjoying your Sundays and have a fun, safe Thanksgiving week!

Cheers!

 

Jason, I perceived zero onion in that beer but I should point out that I have never perceived onion in any beer that used Mosaic hops (both homebrewed or commercial). I used my usual yeast for hoppy beers: US-05.

Cheers!

 

Good afternoon from here atop what is a very windy hill here in central NH today. We have had about as many changes of weather today as one could ask for. Not all of them good but that's what we expect this time of year here in NH. Needless to say not many outdoor activities going on here today and since will be headed to my daughters in PA for Thanksgiving no need for any prep work here. I did manage to get a batch of fresh pasta mixed this morning which I will turn into cavatelli a little later this afternoon to go with the Duck ragu recipe that was in the BA Magazine a few weeks ago. If you haven't tried it you are missing out.
Well on to my new beer for this week that comes to me via the way of a Ninja attack on my porch from a fellow BA from MI who I will leave nameless at this time as his time is coming and retaliation will be swift and yes brutal.
The great beer I am drinking today is from Witch's Hat Brewing and is there BBA Night Fury with vanilla beans.

As you will please note this is poured into proper glass wear from the brewery.
This beer poured a dark black color into my Teku glass with a dark tan head that last only seconds.
The nose of this beer is exciting with the sweet smell of bourbon and the great vanilla aroma on top of that.
The taste is where this beer to me explodes with a rich flavor from the malts, some chocolate and tobacco there as well. with the great vanilla flavor there with the sweet bourbon in the finish.
The mouth feel is smooth nice and thick the way a great stout should be which allows it to so smoothly go down as you drink it.
This is a great beer which I have been so graciously allowed to enjoy. If you have the chance you should try it. If I have the chance again I surely will.
No formal review yet but this should be somewhere in the 4.25 to 4.5 range in my mind.

Cheers!

 

Another New Jersey beer Sunday this time from Cricket Hill one of the older craft breweries in the state. The beer is a Russian Imperial Stout. This beer is pretty much what one expects an Imperial Stout to be. It pours black with a thick tan head. The aroma is all roasted malt. The taste is about the same. The mouth feel is a little light for an RIS. The ABV is 9% and well hidden. All in all this is a good RIS. The trouble is that there are a number excellent RIS's around that are excellent and cost less. This brew costs $10.99 a 4 pack . You can buy Narwhal for $9.99 and Old Rasputin for $8.99 in the same store. Still it was worth trying.

 

Good Afternoon NBSers thanks to @utopiajane for that wonderful start and review. I am beginning my day with beer I received from @SammyJaxxxx it is from Bolero Snort Brewing it is Moovember. This is a 5.8% milk stout that has very good roasted malt and milk chocolate flavor and a great slightly heavier than normal feel which I like.

Appearance 4.25 - Pours jet black with nice thick mocha colored head with a pretty aggressive pour. Spots of lacing down the glass

Aroma 4 - Roasted malts, milk chocolate, hints of vanilla.

Taste 4.25 - similar to the aroma, mild chocolate, roasted malts hint of coffee.

Feel 4 - Typical milk stout feel, surprised observing it when it poured it looked a little thin but it coats the mouth while not being super heavy, seems to have a little higher than normal carbonation for a milk stout. Very creamy.

Overall 4.12- Very solid milk stout, nice chocolate aroma and great roasted malt/chocolate flavor.

 

Happy NBS. Sometimes mother nature works with you. Temps went from a high of 70 on Thurs to 25 this morning. With that huge change came very strong winds. When I looked outside this morning most of the leaves were missing from the lawn and nicely pilled along the north side of my house. That sure made raking much easier.

I'm also hoping to see WI continue winning and make a case for the football playoffs.

Any way on to my new beer, and it is a good one considering the cold weather. BA Narwhal! Vintage 2015. Color is obsidian black with a thin 1 finger tan hear. Quick retention that leaves a collar and a few spots of lacing. The aroma is sensational with very soft bourbon, coffee roast, vanilla, dark chocolate, cocoa, marshmallow and thick caramel. The flavor begins with a hints of bitter coffee, rich caramel and moves into some chocolate. It evolves with a faint vanilla and bourbon with a bit of oak or wood. Medium body with creamy, smooth feel. Carbonation is spot on. Really enjoyed this bottle and found it similar to some local offerings.