New Beer Sunday (week 618)

Good evening all and Merry Christmas, we just got back from visiting family in NC and it is nice to sit down and drink a beer and enjoy. I am enjoying a Peppermint Stout from Gizmo BrewWorks called Peppermint Stiletto. I will say my wife loved this and if you like York peppermint patties this is for you. I thought it was pretty good and I am not a huge peppermint fan.

Appearance 4 - Pours jet black with thin tan colored head very spotty lacing around the glass.

Aroma 4 - All I can say is peppermint, it smells like a liquid Your peppermint patty. LOTS of peppermint some chocolate I cannot find much else due to the peppermint being so strong but that is not a bad thing is you like peppermint.

Taste 3.75 - The peppermint is still the predominate flavor but it is not as strong as it was in the nose. There is also more milk chocolate present and hints of roasted malts and some vanilla.

Feel 3.75 - Very smooth and silky still pretty thin well carbonated.

Overall 3.83 - I can say if you like peppermint you will like this if you don't then stay away. It is very peppermint forward and other than some milk chocolate there is not much else there. I still liked this and my wife loved it. Hope everyone had a great Christmas!!

 

Merry Christmas!
Happy New American Wild Ale Sunday!

Sunny/cloudy, low 30s, windy on the Western Slope today, but on my hike, freakn' windy, gust's easily 30+, cloudy, snow is gone as well. I thought this brew would be better. Not much shit on TV so far, later....

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1416/237064/?ba=Wasatch#review

Cheers!

 

Fashionably late to this NBS party since it is Christmas after all. I'm having a great day with my family; relaxing a bit since I'm back at work tomorrow. It is currently raining in WI with a small thunderstorm approaching, fitting for 2016 I guess considering it was -15 last Sunday.

Today's new beer is from 3Sheeps called Veneration. A Belgian Quad style that I am really starting to favor in the winter months.

This beer is very dark brown color with a 1.5 finger tan head that quickly fades and leaves a few lines of lacing on my glass. Aroma has sweet molasses, figs, other dark fruits, toffee and caramel. Notes of rye whisky, vanilla, and fresh baked banana bread. Flavor is scrumptious with plenty of sweet molasses, brown sugar, barrel notes of rye whisky, caramel, some softer vanilla. A bit of fig, banana, and dark fruit flavor round it off. Medium feel with good carbonation and a smooth finish. It is without a doubt delicious, but I think it could improve with a bit of age.



CHEERS and

 

Merry Christmas BA! New Beer Sunday and a holiday at the same time? A treat for sure.

After hitting up a couple of family events, we are settling in for the remainder of the weekend at home.

Unseasonably warm here in the Deep South. We broke a 30 year old record for a high temp today. Even manage a walk in the neighborhood today in shorts and a tee shirt. This means that single digits are coming soon. If you don't like the winter weather in Alabama, wait 24 hours and it will change.

Today's new beer Is Barrel Aged El Gordo that I picked up at the release a couple of weeks ago. This is the first time Good People has done this particular version.

El Gordo is arguably the best stout on the state. Usually only available on draft in a handful of spots until this year. The December 10th release brought us bottles of the 2014, 2015, 2016, barrel aged, and mole versions. A Christmas miracle!

Barrel Aged El Gordo is certainly the big brother to the base version adding some nice oak and bourbon notes, and somehow enhancing the chocolate and coffe. Additional notes in the review below...



https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/17282/258202/?ba=richj1970#review

 

Merry Christmas, NBSers, and welcome to a bottle share, ovaltine style. First up, this pounder of a sour from Upland Brewing in Bloomington.



I went to IU in Bloomington from 1981 - 1985. Fortunately, Upland wasn't around then (we LIVED on Old Milwaukee Light), so I didn't go broker (is that a word?) than I already did. They're renowned for their sours, so I was excited to share this with Mrs. O and Little O.

This is a sour on PED's. Mrs. O, a newcomer to the beer nerd world via sours, nearly tapped out on the aroma and did tap out after approximately an 1/8 of an ounce on the taste. The strawberries are a bit muted, but the oak is a nice touch, and really elevates this a couple of notches. Rated 4.1.

Next up, this ginormous barrel-aged gem.



This is magnificent. The base beer shines through with the dark chocolate and char flavors, and the barrel is present, but doesn't smash you between the eyes with a 2 x 4. One of the better BA stouts I've had. Rated 4.67.

Last one, a BA sour from Surly? Sign me up!!!!!



That is the star of tonight's show Mrs. O in the background, putting the finishing touches on this exquisite bone-in prime rib .....



The beer, though is spectabulous. Pentagram is a "big" sour anyway, and the barrel complements that. I don't like whiskey - at ALL - but this is just a pleasure to drink. If I wasn't sharing this with my boy, I'd sip on this bomber for a couple of hours and be the happiest beer nerd on the planet. Rated 4.68.

It is an honor and a privilege to post in this thread each week with you all. I hope you have the best holiday season ever with your families.

 

Merry Christmas and Happy Chanukah, BAs! We have had a wonderful day here in TN, spending time with family and loved ones, eating/drinking too much, and enjoying an unseasonably warm day with temps in the 70's.
My NBS beer has special meaning for many BAs here in Tennessee, as it's named after a beloved BA (Jeff Gish - @Volntitan) who recently passed after a long battle with cancer. I never had the pleasure of meeting him, but Jeff was well-known for his love of craft beer, his warm personality, and his generosity. Apparently, Jeff's favorite candy was also a Tennessee original, the Goo Goo Cluster. Jeff was close friends with the brewers at Mantra Artisan Ales (a fantastic brewery), and they brewed a beer in his honor several months ago designed to taste like said candy. It was so well-received and popular that they have now brewed it and packaged it for distribution, appropriately named after Jeff:

Guru Gish, a milk stout by Mantra Artisan Ales (Franklin, TN)

look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

There was only a small bit of tan foam despite a vigorous pour, but the bubbles were resilient and kept me company for a while. A nearly opaque dark brown color. For those familiar with Goo Goo Clusters, this was an incredible smell - spot on. Roasted peanuts, milk chocolate, caramel, and a hint of coffee. The first sip was exactly as expected, like drinking the candy bar. Also a bit of vanilla and marshmallow. A milky, creamy feel and finish. Definitely a sweet dessert beer but easy-drinking and in no way cloying. A wonderful brew that suits its namesake. Cheers!

 

Greetings and a Merry Christmas to All:

Today we have S'More Stout from Base Camp Brewing.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/29619/87375/

A good stout, a little sweet and long on dark fruit flavors for my taste, but not bad.

Beautiful clear and sunny day here in the Columbia Basin, but COLD. Over night temps into the low teens and today we never made the thaw in spite of the sunshine.

We had a great family gift exchange this morning, and now the Christmas turkey is nearly done. So the table awaits.

Until next time,

Happy Trails and Merry Christmas!

 

New IPA Sunday



Trillium Stillings Street

Merry Christmas, and a very happy NBS, everyone. Hope you're all enjoying the season.

I'm up in MA visiting family and got to make a trip to Trillium, which made me very happy. Also got a number of beers and cool drinking vessels as gifts, almost all of which is sure to grace the pages of this site in the coming days.

My new beer for today, though, is Stillings Street IPA. It has a gray-hued orange juice appearance with two fingers of airy white head that are fairly quick to dissipate.

There's a big aroma of peaches, nectarines, pineapple and spicy hops, which continue to the taste, although more muted, with a herbal spiciness and white wine characteristics sticking out more. Pretty modest bitterness in this one, with a juicy, white wine thing in the aftertaste.

Light to medium bodied with a decent lingering prickliness to the mouthfeel. Solid.

All the best to you and yours.

 

I have heard plenty of good things about this beer, especially at this time of the year. I'm starting to see why. Sharing a magnum of this with my dad, and contemplating picking up a bottle to split amongst friends on New Year's Eve, although that might be reserved for PBR and cheap whiskey.



Anchor's Christmas Ale.

Pours a stark black with a foamy, bubbly, eager head. Head forms in a creme color with three plus fingers of height. Pouring from a magnum bottle is tough, then again, the beer continues to foam up nicely no matter how warm it is, or who is pouring it. Lacing forms heavily around the glass after each sip. Aroma is short and dry, with notes of toasted malts and spices. Flavor profile opens up smoothly by way of toasted and biscuit malts. Christmas spices enter the flavor profile a moment later. Not much else happens in the flavor profile, keeping this beer on the easy drinking, tasty side of the spectrum. Mouth feel is creamy, smooth, and slightly filling with a medium consistency and body. Overall, a stand-out in terms of Christmas ales. The spices remain well balanced and subdued, giving this beer a well rounded nature. It was event enjoyed by someone with me who can't stand beers with too many spices, or notes.

Score: 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.75 | 4.0 | BA Score: 4.01 | rDev: +1.3%

 

Never met Jeff, but have seen many of his posts on BA. Will try and pick up a bottle on my next trip to Nashville, and raise it in his honor...

 

One I have yet to try. I remember trying to get hold of it "back in the day" (before they bottled it).

 

New Beers Sunday: New American Black Ale

Evenin' NBSers, with special greetings to all you fans of what used to be called Black IPAs.

Well the Christmas festivities are over. The family has finished opening presents, the meal, and many are headed safely home.

This evening's new Beer is NightTime from Lagunitas.

As usual my review, subject to revision as I finish the beer, can be found here:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/220/112938/?ba=drtth#review

Call it a Black IPA, a Cascadian Dark Ale or an American Black Ale, this is a good beer with well balanced hop and dark roasted malt aromas and flavors, including bitterness from both the hops and the dark roasted malt, This one is a winner in my book. and I look forward to having more in the future.

On the player is some music to relax to while enjoying the beer. On an old 78 borrowed from a friend, it also seemed a good choice given the title of the song and the name of the beer.

Still of the night - Vaughn Monroe

Cheers, all!

 

I had on tap at Delicious Heights in Berkeley Heights. Have never looked for it at retail since I didn't know about it until it was named by a few BA's in the Best New Beer in NJ thread.

 

Merry Christmas everyone! I had a couple new brews today. Started off with The Bruery 9 Ladies Dancing: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16866/249622/?ba=bluejacket74#review



And then had a can of Rhinegeist Dad Hoppy Holiday Ale: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/31995/145082/?ba=bluejacket74#review



Those are going to be my only new brews today. Cheers!

 

Today's beer is just a perfect storm.

It's NBS, it's Christmas, this is the new-to-me Christmas beer from a really great brewery, it's a barley wine on Christmas Day as part of the brief resurrection of my barley wine thread, it's a fantastic beer. Everything has just lined up so perfectly!

It's Harvey's Christmas Ale!



Here are my thoughts on it.

There's even a mention of the "The Christmas Beer Regulation."

Happy Holidays to everyone!

 

Harvey's Christmas Ale is one of those great vinous beers that never lasts long enough. It is really like port and just seeing your photo of the bottle makes me remember exactly every single sip.

 

I hear yah. I loved your picture by the big tree!

 

Lagunitas Tuberfest

They're sort of selling this as a festbier. There's a lager quality here, but the huge American hop flavor dominates and ruins any enjoyment if you're expecting a festbier. What we have here is a (high ABV) beer that tastes like a tangerine. I don't even care for it if I just take it on its own IPL-ish merit. It just doesn't come together for me.