New Beer Sunday (week 613)

Even though I've come to accept it, the Browns losing yet another game in a 0-∞ season always leaves me feeling a bit sour. Why not continue that by putting it in my mouth?

I've only had a couple of beers in the flanders red ale style, this my first actually from Belgium... based on this bottle I'm going to have to look for more! This is such a nice balance of tart and sweet. Sour cherry but also some sweet cherry/grapes. A bit of vinegar but that just adds complexity. To be honest it's a bit sweeter than I'd prefer but the acidity/sour notes add nice balance. The time in barrel did it well as did the additional time I've let it rest since purchase. I can definitely age further. Overall 4.25/5
Cheers!

 

Good evening, NBSers! It's been a while for me, have been travelling and trying (somewhat sucessfully) to cut down on the beer-ing lately. It is a positively frigid day here in the Chicago area. Just Thursday, it was 70 and I think it barely hit 30 today in my hood. So, nothing to do but hunker down on the sofa with a warm puppy, a tasty brew and some good entertainment!
I am really wowed by this 2014 First Nail imperial stout from Fremont. This was an extra in a very nice IP trade with @KyleLLC at FoBAB last weekend.

First Nail is the baby bro to the BA version Rusty Nail. I have to say that I am dying to try Rusty Nail after just a few sips of First Nail!
According to the label, it has brewer's licorice, smoked barely and is aged on cinnamon bark.

My first pour was cold straight out of the fridge, the aroma at that point was very heavy on the licorice. As it warmed, out came more of the roastiness and the cinnamon. A waft of booze hits your nose, too. I love the appearance of this beer. It is very thick and as pitch dark as a moonless night. Very small head that dissipated quickly. My first cold pour was dominated, like the aroma, by the licorice. As it warmed, though, WOW, I get so much complexity, there's the licorice, the roasty malts in several iterations and then a hint of cinnamon.

For those of you turned off by cinnamon bombs, this is the ticket, the cinnamon just adds a nice earthy bite. The mouthfeel of this beer is a sheer delight--it is literally like drinking a glass of velvet. It coats your tongue in a most pleasant way allowing you to savor its flavor.

I have always been a huge fan of Fremont's Abominable and Dark Star, I have to add this to the list (along with Spice Wars that I got to try at FoBAB) as all-time favorites and permanent wants! This is exactly the beer you want on a cold early winter day.

On the entertainment front, I’m binge watching Muhteşem Yüzyıl (Magnificent Century) on Netflix about the reign of Süleyman the Magnificent. Yes, it’s in Turkish (what, am I the only one here who speaks Turkish?) and yes, it’s set in 16th century Ottoman Empire, but it’s really great if you can get past those things! It’s half about the Ottoman battles with Europe (including priceless scenes with the then Pope Clement VII) and half about his harem, great stuff! I also have to add that the hats in this series are spectacular and are deserving of a special award! Happy Sunday NBSers!

 

Bummer about the DMS. It's bad enough Kolsch doesn't get the love and respect it deserves, but being botched and sold as one doesn't do the style many favors.

 

Fun trivia: That beer is called Aphrodisiaque up here but you can't have that on a label in the states cause it would confuse peopleor incite them to sex or something. They made them change it, that's why the label is all in English.

 

Duck ragu, you say?

 

Hey NBS'ers

My New Beer Sunday contribution is Fuller's Vintage Ale (2013).



The body is a reddish orange color with tan head. Aromas of candied orange peel, raisin, grape, caramel and toffee.
The taste has a lot of what the aromas hinted at - Orange peel, caramel, toffee, prunes, raisins and dates. This beer has a medium mouthfeel with a lower level of carbonation. This beer had been on my wants list for a long time and I'm glad to finally have had the experience.

Overall, this beer earns a 4.25/5.

 

How funny! With all the other provocative, offensive, crass, and whatever else beers already sold in the states get away with, "Aphrodisiaque" seems exceptionally tame. Was it ever sold as that here, or always Aphrodite?

 

Ommegang / Urban Chestnut - Collaboration 2016 Doppelbock Ale

I'm generally not an Ommegang drinker, but I was very happy when Urban Chestnut started to appear in my area. Their beers are a treat. I was intrigued to see this collaboration hit the shelves.

Two beers resulted in this collaboration. Ommegang brewed a beer using Urban Chestnut's Doppelbock recipe and Ommegang's house yeast. Urban Chestnut brewed a beer using Ommegang's dubbel recipe and their house lager yeast.

Yeast doesn't get the attention that it deserves. This Ommegang beer is called a Doppelbock but I feel that's a stretch. This beer is dominated by the yeast. It's a very nice brew, but it feels Belgian through and through even if it isn't. While this is an enjoyable beer, I would rather be trying the Urban Chestnut brewed collaboration.

Cheers.

 

Very Nice Colors!

Cheers!

 

Good Shit!

Cheers!

 

Interesting!

Cheers!

 

Hey what's going on!?!

Well I am back from a day out in the country. On this insanely windy day I went out for a day hike in Gimball State Park. Turned out real lovely, but we cut it short once we started seeing 8 and 10 diameter trees snap in half while walking through the woods. Yup we're done...

But that's not all.. Shame it seems, yesterday it was 70 degrees and now suddenly winter feels like it's right around the corner.. have no idea where that came from.

As per my reward though with the clan if you will permit me, we head a cidery and a meadery. The meads were incredible at this place called Orchid Meadery just outside Frederick MD. I had had them before at my brewclubs tasting and definitely made a mental not to make sure to visit these guys, and boy they didn't dissapoint.

You're all gonna lose me on the beer here at this rate if they keep making that stuff as good as they are

Anyway...

I got a new brew... one of many. Let's see what's new for our hero today!

Conflux Series 2: Collage | Deschutes Brewery


Deschutes Brewing / Hair Of The Dog - Conflux Series 2 Collage by imbibehour, on Flickr


Poured from the bottle into a snifter glass. Bottled August 1st 2016.

Deep dark mahogany and walnut brow, with a dark purple to red hue for the body color. Slightly oil like and slick coming out of the bottle, gives barely a faint sense of tan creamy head, and leaves with a fine creamy thin collar. Spider like top, with a less oily presence as it sits. Very impressive body color though.

Berry sensing aromas on the nose. Creamy sensing vanilla with a nice touch of raspberry, blueberry and blackberry like flavors. Hints at quite a bit of cinnamon spice as well, but not as dry sensing. Complex woody and almost a berry like brandy senses coming off the nose as well. Lots going on here, but as fascinating at it seems to be it's hard to pin and lock down.

Palate comes out really not what I was expecting. Strong berry blast with a slick mouthfeel it seems. Bursting juicy raspberry to cherry warmth with some soft buttery like caramel. Excellent fruity character that seems also hinting with a slight bit of tight carbonation, almost making things a bit peppery and lively. Aftertaste is a real nice mix of toffee richness and even a faint hint of crackling char as well. Hits somewhere between light ruby port dessert wine, and strong ale rich fruit and caramel.

Real excellent meld going on here, almost seems like that this wasn't according to plan because it seems so different. Either way it's one great brew.

look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5 | BA Generated Score: 4.39

Cheers!

 

I'm too lazy to post pics, but my NBS has been Port City Tidings. This is a freshly bottled (3 weeks old), Belgian Strong Pale Ale. It was not quite my cup of tea, but if you like strong spiced Belgian ales, maybe it is for you. I found the spice in this one to be a touch overdone. Still was a nice Sunday evening beer however.

 

I'm pretty sure the thing I saw said it was from the beginning cause the labels on imports have to be approved and they didn't want it to seem medicinal or something.

 

my first Tree House offering in more than a year..and this was a good one..hazy/OJ pour..sweet aroma of orange peel,tangerine,assorted citrus fruits..tastes like it smells..just a hint of bitterness and crisp,dry finish..well done..good thing i just traded for some more..including Julius,Haze and a few others...Cheers!

 

Hello NBS crew, snowy day for me in New Hampshire, strange after the near 70 degree day yesterday.



Other Half and Magic Rock collaboration.

Can poured into a fluted snifter.

Odd color, hazy purplish brown. Near opaque, thin film of tiny foam settles on top of the beer and rings the glass.

Smell is sweet grape juice, don't get much from the hops or anything else. May be overpowered by the grape. It is a very different aroma than what any beer typically smells like.

Taste is sweet grape, like close to Welch's grape juice at first. My first sip I kinda hated it, but it grew on me a bit after the initial shock. You know how orange juice gets bubbly and alcoholic when its super old? This kind of tastes like if the same thing happened to sweet grape juice. If I try hard I get the background IPA, but sweet grape juice is the flavor that lingers in the mouth in between sip.

Coats the tongue a bit, a little syrupy, moderate carbonation and medium body.

Even with the strange flavors and initial reaction, I can't hate this. It doesn't taste bad, it is just different. Someone that hates beer could love this.

 

Ah, my weekend begins with a snowstorm. Possibly 8-14" in the higher elevations and maybe 4-6" down here.



After a slight gusher it gently pours a 3/4 inch head that recedes to a film with a ring after a couple minutes with a a hazy body. Nose of slate, citrus, and slight wheat. Upon warming it is mostly doughy wheat and citrus. Taste follows pleasantly enough with a crisp, dry finish. Nice coating mouth feel. Overall, this would be a nice accompaniment to just about any meal.

3.99/5 rDev +3.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

 

Blue Point Winter Ale

On to my second Blue Point "beer." Thankfully this one is actually a beer, but I'm not too fond of it. It calls itself a robust amber ale. It's classified here as an American amber / red ale. I've made it known that I see the amber category as a bit fictional. Take a look at this beer, does it look like amber? It's not even in the ballpark. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is amber.

I was hoping that this beer would be a middle ground between a bitter and a barley wine. Perhaps it is, but I still don't like it. Thankfully, I'm not getting any spices here. The descripton claims it has just the right amount of spice

The look of this beer promises malt, but when you taste it, that's where it's lacking. I'm getting spicy hops, prickly carbonation, and rich caramel... but the malt needs to do more heavy lifting here. Some English yeast character would help it too. Without either of these things, it's just lacking.

 

New Pardon My French Sunday

This beer comes from a place that I visited last March after I got drunk and met @Prager62 at Founders. Unfortunately it appears that I have deleted all of my photos from the former church turned brewery. I met a college friend/neighbor there and appropriately, the last thing I remember is drinking an "Undertaker". I would have been glad to sample this one

4.47/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a non dated, 500 ml bottle into a tulip glass.

It is a foggy, bright gold color. It produced a moderate, fairly fizzy white head that disappeared almost immediately.

There are very strong aromas of oak. Also some red grapes, funky yeast, a hint of citrus, and some subtle acidic sourness.

There is an initial crisp/sharp yeasty sour bite. A little peppery with some lemon, white vinegar, and grape. Then it really settles in with some deep oak flavor, and red wine and light grains. The alcohol is not noticeable at all.

The feel is crisp and lively, but fuller thanks to the abv. A clean dry finish.

This might not be sour enough for some people, but it really allows the barrel character to shine. I thought it was outstanding

 

I think we need to hear more about this trip. . .